Traces Denver- Review

{Traces- Denver}

Tonight Jason and I were invited to the opening night performance of a show called Traces at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts. We have attended several shows there so we knew to expect only the best from the Denver Center; we have never seen a bad show at any of their theaters. I had seen the previews for Traces on TV and it looked great!

{About the Show} - From the Denver Center Website

The 7 Fingers is an astonishingly talented French Canadian company that has pioneered a whole new brand of theatrical entertainment. On what may prove their last night on earth, seven street youths celebrate life with dazzling, gravity-defying displays of skill- balancing on each other’s heads, tumbling through hoops and leaping spectacularly up giant poles. More than just a display of acrobatic brilliance the audience is gradually drawn into the performers’ real life stories and, by the dramatic climax of the show, on the edge of their seats, willing them to pull of the seemingly impossible.

{My Opinion}

Most of the time that we were watching this show my mouth was hanging open, I found myself in awe of everything that was happening on stage. The acrobatics in this show were amazing; I have never seen anything like it. There were several different “skits” and all of them were vastly unique; it wasn’t the same moves over and over. They climb poles (with no hands!), jump through hoops, hurl through the air, throw and catch each other and so much more; keeping you on the edge of your seat! 

They found a way to introduce you to the real life stories of the performers; 6 charming young men and 1 adorable young lady. Their stories made them lovable, by the end I found myself worrying about their safety and if they would be able to successfully complete certain maneuvers, I felt attached to them somehow! They did a great job of interacting with the audience which also created a feeling of closeness.

I would recommend seeing this show, you will be pleased. We were talking on the walk to the car and we couldn’t even decide which part of the show was our favorite because all of it was so great!

The one thing I would say would help to know going in to watch the show; there is no real story line, there is no beginning, middle and end. I was trying to figure out how everything connected but in the end I see that there was no real connection and it was still fabulous! 


Traces is showing at the Stage Theatre from March 11th-May 14th, 2011. You can click here to buy tickets- http://www.denvercenter.org/shows-and-events/shows/traces/home.aspx

The opinions in this review are my own. I was provided with two tickets to this show but I was not paid for this review. 

Sweet Homemade Waffles

{Sweet Homemade Waffles}  

These waffles are delicious, they are sweet and that is a big requirement for me! Nothing says "happy Saturday" like these yummy waffles, topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream. 

{Ingredients}

2 Eggs

5 Tablespoons of white sugar

1 ½ Cups of warm milk

½ Cup of butter, melted

2 Cups of all-purpose flour

4 Teaspoons of baking powder

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

{Directions}

• In a large bowl, combine slightly beaten eggs, sugar, milk and butter

• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt

• Slowly mix (with an electric mixer) the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined
• Add vanilla

• Pour the batter into the pre-heated waffle iron, cook until golden in color

30 Day Picture Challenge- Day 13

{Day 13- 30 Day Picture Challenge} 

My favorite band or artist

This one was really hard because I do adore Train but I love lots of artists and bands. Most of my favorites come from the 90’s but there are too many to list!

Making Bias Tape

{How to Make Bias Tape}

I started sewing about a year ago and I haven’t done enough of it really.  This week I bought fabric to make a little project and to my dismay there was no bias tape that matched it so I decided to make my own!

This was definitely a first for me! It was really rough at first but I had to make it out of two different fabrics and by the time I got to the second one it felt a little bit easier.

I followed the directions on this website and I thought they were great! 

http://sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/344-bias-tape-how-to-make-it-a-attach-it

Can you believe it? I made that beautiful bias tape right there! You can too, try it and let me know how it goes! 

30 Day Picture Challenge- Day 12

{Day 12- 30 Day Picture Challenge} 

Something you love

I decided that saying "my family" or "my friends" would be too obvious, so I went with

Ben and Jerry’s you are my true ice cream love, I adore you. Thank you for always being there for me.

Cinnamon Frosting Recipe

{Cinnamon Frosting}  

I found this recipe over at A Southern Grace’s blog and thought it looked great, so I gave it a try! I changed it up just a bit. This frosting is everything good in life mixed all together! I love it! 

{Ingredients}

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter (room temperature)

8oz of cream cheese (room temperature)

1-2 Cups of powdered sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

2 Teaspoons of cinnamon

{Directions}

• In a bowl combine the butter and cream cheese, use an electric mixer until they are combined
• Slowly add the powdered sugar (make sure you go slowly to avoid a big mess!)
• Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until fluffy

• Frost cooled cupcakes

I used this frosting on churros cupcakes and it was amazing! Try it out, you can find the cupcakes here.

Churros Cupcakes

{Churros Cupcakes}  

One of my many food obsessions is cinnamon! I love anything with cinnamon in it or on it, especially if there is sugar involved too! I knew this cupcake would instantly be a favorite of mine.

{Ingredients}

1 Box of white cake mix

3 Eggs

1 Cup of plain yogurt

1 Teaspoon of vanilla

1 Cup of water

¾ Cup of white sugar

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

{Directions}

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your cupcake pan
• Mix together the box of dry cake mix, eggs, yogurt, vanilla and water

• In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and the cinnamon

• Put a tablespoon of batter into each cupcake liner
• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter in the liners
• Fill the cupcake liners to 2/3 full

• Bake for 16-18 minutes

I frosted these with my cinnamon cream cheese frosting and they were so good! I made them in ice cream cones and it really added something to it, just having a bit of crunch with each bite.

I would rate these cupcakes a 4 out of 5, go ahead, make them! Tell me what you think!

30 Day Picture Challenge- Day 11

{Day 11- 30 Day Picture Challenge} 

Something you hate

I hate having anything between my toes, it makes me cringe but that doesn’t stop Jason from putting his fingers between them to irritate me!

Blog Hop Friday

Blog Hop!

I ♥ Blogging was created to gain new followers, subscribers, tweeters and fb fans.  Every Wednesday a new linky will be posted.  Join in on the fun!

1.  Become a GFC Follower, Twitter or FaceBook Fan of Mommys Online Garage Sale and my 2 co-hosts Jen and Mickey .

2.  Adding  the  Hop Button to your site is appreciated however isn’t mandatory

3.  Be sure to leave us a comment stating you are now a follower of one or all three so we can do the same for you!

<a href="http://ahelicoptermom.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc206/BusyBee68/Iheartblogginghopbutton.jpg" /></a>

Wordless Wednesday

{Wordless Wednesday}

(We had a warm day finally!)

Tell All Tuesday

{Tuesday Tell All}

We all love Holidays don't we, but which is your favorite one?

This one is hard for me to answer because I love every holiday, especially the ones that involve buying gifts for my kids, or costumes or fireworks.

I guess I would say that my very favorite holiday is Christmas because there is a whole season where you celebrate. Although, in recent years Christmas has become way too commercialized which is making it feel less happy and loving. So which holiday is your favorite?


You can participate in Tuesday Tell All by clicking here.

30 Day Picture Challenge- Day 10

{Day 10- 30 Day Picture Challenge} 

The person you have done the most bad stuff with  

My baby brother for sure; I haven’t done many bad things in my life but most of the bad stuff I did was with this guy right here. I know he would want me to tell you- he once folded me up in our couch bed when my mom wasn’t home and I got stuck… fun times, I thought I was going to die! He found the strength to pull me out though, thanks brother, for trying to kill me and then saving me all at once. 

The Bachelor (March 7th 2011)

{The Bachelor (March 7^th 2011) Spoiler}

This week is the “Behind the Rose” show. They get all of the girls who got sent home together to talk about everything that went on this season. All of the girls were there except for Emily and Chantal, since they are the final two girls.

I was most excited to see crazy Michelle, she was crying. I did feel a little bad for her; maybe they edited her to just seem crazy? She did say that she was kidding around about most of the stuff she said on camera, especially the stuff about fighting the other girls; it’s her defense mechanism. It gave me a new found feeling (not sure what feeling it is) for her, I feel kind of sad for her now… There was plenty of back and forth between all of the ladies. Quite a few of the girls vouched for her and her sense of humor. (Later on, Brad also said that he knew she was kidding in her interviews)

Ashley H. was next in the “hot seat” she said that she didn’t know that Brad really liked her as much as he did. She said that they had an unspoken connection and that she feels so bad that she ruined it.

Brad came out and told all of the girls how much he liked them and how great it was to be around them. Ashley H. apologized to him for wasting time with him; he accepted and told her not to be sorry about anything. They hugged it out J He told Chris that he is in love, he has been for a long time and he falls more and more in love every day. 

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

{Meatless Monday- Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas} 

Easiest Meatless Monday meal I have done so far!

{Ingredients} 

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 (15oz) Can of black beans

1 (10oz) Can of corn

¼ Cup of salsa

½ teaspoon of red pepper flake

8 tortillas

Butter

1 1/2 – 2 Cups shredded cheese (I use Mexican blend, you can use any kind you want but white cheeses are less greasy)

{Directions} 

• Pour the oil into a small sauce pan
• Add corn, beans (drained and rinsed), salsa and red pepper flake and heat through

• Put butter on one side of two tortillas
• Place one tortilla in a large skillet over medium heat, set the other one aside
• Put your desired amount of cheese on top of the tortilla
• Scoop some of the bean mixture into the tortilla on top of the cheese and spread it around

• Put the other tortilla on top with the butter side up
• Cook until the tortilla is a light brown/golden color and then flip and do the same on the other side

{Optional}

Sometimes I add other things like bell pepper, onions, etc.

Sour cream

Guacamole
Avocado

Extra salsa

Grounds for Your Garden

{Grounds for Your Garden}

This year instead of going out and buying expensive, stinky fertilizer for your garden this year why not try a natural *FREE* solution?

Starbucks runs a program called “grounds for your garden” where they save coffee grounds and give them to anyone who asks for the for free! No purchase necessary. Ground coffee is high in nitrogen which makes it very good mulch for your vegetable garden as well as your flowers. The color is really deep, nearly black and looks fabulous next to bright plants and flowers.

Coffee grounds are a great fertilizer for your garden;

• They make your flowers brighter
• Draw helpful earth worms to your garden (coffee is like ice cream for worms, they love it!) 
• It keeps slugs and snails at bay- Studies have shown that when the slugs and snails try to travel where the coffee is they absorb the caffeine and it results in death.

“Grounds for your garden” makes fertilizing simple! You just drive by your local Starbucks (or local coffee shop, if they offer a program like this) pick up your bag of grounds. When you get home kneed the bag to break up the espresso chunks, or you will have little lumps all over the yard. Rip a small hole in the bag and shake it around the garden, spread it around with a rake. 


You can learn more about Vermicomposting (worms) by clicking here