Misadventures Managed

Photo Book

2012-09-10T21:21:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly allows you to customize your photo book just the way you want.

The one post where we all talk about how "Fifty Shades of Grey" is not about werewolves.

2012-05-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

No one told me what I was getting into, I was just like, "FINE. Give me the damn book, I will read it." HOLY HOLY. I was just waiting for Christian Grey to be a werewolf or something. BUT NO. He's not a werewolf. And then I got to wondering why all my SAHM Mormon friends recommended this to me, but that's a WHOLE nuther discussion. At the end of the day: I am not crazy about the writing, it's atrocious and repetitive and Ana needs some serious therapy. Hell, I need some therapy after reading this. I find myself reading passages out loud to CJ and he literally grabs it from my hand and says, "NO way, it does not say that!" It does. Not for the squeamish, virgins, or faint of heart. But the banter is fun, the book is well, "enlightening" and I am racing through them at warp speed.

The Name (Change) Game

2012-05-23T16:49:00.003-07:00

Changing my name to has been surprisingly pain free for the most part. On a whim (and a Groupon) I tried out Miss Now Mrs, which is a great online service that has you enter in your info once and it auto populates all your forms for you! I love it! Plus they ask you about things I didn't think of right away, like insurance and investments and auto populates a form letter to send off to all your companies. They also give you a list of what to send and bring to each agency or company to make sure you are prepared. So, armed with my forms, I was unstoppable.
Social Security office? I breezed in and out in less than 5 minutes. Little known fact, you can just bring your signed marriage license, you don't need the certified copy one.
DMV? Always a wait, but the staff was super helpful, also learned a lot about motorcycles and basically went on a date with this couple as they sat their quizzing each other about their lives. After 2 hours of sitting next to them I was like, "I know, me too!" Awkward.
Bank? Again, in and out in 5 minutes.
But my passport was probably the scariest of all.
First, you have to (gulp) send in your actual passport. And get a new photo. This is where I got concerned. I didn't want to go take the time to get a new photo. Enter ePassport Photo I just uploaded a quick head shot my friend Christina took of me against a white wall, adjusted the crop and bam! they sent it to my local Walgreens. Pretty much in love.
Now all I have to do is send off letters to my credit card, insurance companies and wait for my boss to come back from vacation and I will officially, officially be Mrs. Bolton. (Yahoo!)
Disclaimer: None of these companies even know I exist, I just really liked their services and thought I would share.

Crazy Bunny Lady

2012-05-18T11:04:00.001-07:00

I have this malcontent bunny living in my work cube. Meet Daphne Blake Lee-Bolton.

I also have this delight at home. Meet Oreo Bolton.

We got married!

2012-05-17T14:03:00.003-07:00

Purple Panic by China Glaze: The Ultimate Matte Nail Polish

2012-04-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Erin gave me this polish to match my dress for my shower last weekend. I was like, "Neon? Purple?" and she said, "Trust me." I make it a point to always trust Erin, she is my go to gal for basically everything. Erin was not kidding around, this color is fantastic, perfectly matte, dries like a dream (so fast!). I was sad to hand back over the bottle on Monday. Makeup alley also did a great review on it.

*China Glaze has no idea who I am, I just really liked the polish.

This is why I am marrying him....

2012-04-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought you were awesome and I find big long strand of brown hair in my pork roast. Bad! L

From: Tiffany Lee [mailto:TiLee@ssg.PetSmart.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 12:01 PM
To: Bolton, Chester-P63175
Subject: RE: Invitation to view Tiffany Lee's Picasa Web Album - Hawaii Engagement Trip

Tackling now…

Tiffany Lee | Environmental Sustainability Analyst || O: 623.587.2686 | tilee@ssg.petsmart.com

From: Chester.Bolton@gdc4s.com [mailto:Chester.Bolton@gdc4s.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 12:00 PM
To: Tiffany Lee
Subject: RE: Invitation to view Tiffany Lee's Picasa Web Album - Hawaii Engagement Trip

Impossible! You are the all-knowing fiance’. Any luck on the photos?

Lines For The Fortune Cookies, 2012 « Thought Catalog

2012-01-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

Lines For The Fortune Cookies, 2012 « Thought Catalog

By Courtney Preiss for the Thought Catalog

Five pairs of shoes is entirely too many for one weekend away.

The world is not coming to an end, but your patience for the people in it will wear awfully thin.

Quit sleeping around, you chippy.

It’s election time again. Know what you must do.

Screaming at the game through your television set increases your team’s chances of winning by 8%. Keep up the good work!

Seven rounds of drinks is entirely too many for one night on the town.

You will frequently wind up kissing boys sitting next to the boys you should be kissing.

In the end, labels mean nothing. But haven’t you always fancied yourself in something Chanel?

Listening to rap music will not make you any less white.

Be kind to the other girls. Even the mean ones. They are very scared.

You will wake up on an unfamiliar bathroom floor with a throbbing head and bruised knees.

You will meet Chevy Chase in a crowded restaurant and find yourself at a stunning loss for words.

Someone in this room is faking their orgasms.

Speak less, listen more, write everything down.

Trenchcoats and wayfarers will never go out of style. Buy, buy, buy.

Swallowing your enthusiasm is actually more uncool than you can ever know!

Doling out insincere kisses is diluting the sincerity of your true ones.

Jesus may not come back, but Kurt Cobain most certainly will.

Make your bed, make some tea.

White flour kills. Processed sugar kills. Cigarettes are okay in moderation.

It’s time to retire that sweater you wear. You know the one.

How many men have you satisfied with “Under My Thumb” playing in the background? Reevaluate your goals.

Heaven help you if you buy that bottle of wine from 2004.

You are not in a fraternity. Act accordingly.

You are only on this carousel once. Grab that brass ring now.

Fortune cookie say: take it from where it comes.

Jeff Goldblum has a secret crush on you — you lucky, lucky girl.

Dance, sweet thing, dance.

Photo Card

2011-12-08T21:08:00.001-08:00

Save It Noir Wedding Save the Date

Tell them you love them with Shutterfly Valentines cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Santa's Carbon Footprint

2011-12-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

Love this infographic by ethical ocean

via Ethical Ocean - eco friendly products, fair trade and vegan shopping.

Finally getting around to editing Hawaii!

2011-08-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

How Much Backyard Needed Grow Food for a Family of Four

2011-08-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Very interesting infographic from treehugger.com on how much land you would need to feed a family of 4...

Dress Shopping (Again) - Now with better dresses!

2011-08-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

I gotta say, I loved all of these in person, but cell cameras don't lie. I had to throw a few out!

Here we go! Ranked in order of awesomeness.

#1 - Ruffles! Allure 8862 - All about it!

#2 - Casablanca 2024 - Organza and beads (Store folk wouldn't let me get a photo. They suck).

Casablanca 2035 - Soft Net and Beading (very similar to 2024 just above, which has a longer top to cover the "situation you have going on there," said the sales girls)

Allure 8850 - Champagne Lace Dream (Wa-hay over budget)

Casablanca 2002 - Organza Slim (So light and airy! Obviously this was too small so click on the link to see it on the model. Fabulous sparkly buttons all the way down!)

Allure 8859 aka. Slim Jim (This one is deceiving. It looks nice up close, and then zoom out and it's SATIN! SHINY! HIPS!)

Okay on to the rejects...I loved them in the store, hated them in photos.

Maggie Sottero Sabelle This one was a front runner, but I couldn't get past the taffeta, lace weird train split

Maggie Sottero Priscilla (Also deceiving in person, so pretty, in photos SHINY! Also WAY out of budget, but that train is to die for)

Sottero & Midgely Loretta - Drop waist disaster

Wedding Dress Shopping!

2011-07-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

When my Mom and sister were in town last May, we did a marathon weekend of venue and dress shopping for the wedding. Venue: check! Dress: let's find out.
We ended up at Yes! I Do! Bridal in Chandler that carried the Casablanca line.
There were some really great gowns, but none that I could fit into to try on.

My sister Cassie was kind enough to sport some looks for me and at the end of the day, we decided on this dress, but in a slightly different lace.

I was still apprehensive though, I wasn't sure what the dress felt like on or would look like on me. So I decided to keep my options open and keep looking.

This is how I feel after wedding dress shopping today.

AMAZING!
My friend Kari came with me to try on dresses at this great store called Strut Bridal in Phoenix. First, Strut rocks. Owner Ann only carries dresses in size 12+. Second, they have an amazing selection. I worked with Pam Meeks to find 4 final contenders.

But first, the rejects: cafe mocha and ivory lace and tulle tea length dress. I totally loved this! But it's not quite right for our event.

Next, an ivory confection. I just fell in love with this neckline and 3D skirt detail.

A beautiful lace dress, but just not for me:

Now for the winners: Number 4, taffeta v neck gown with a chapel train

Pros: What I was looking for

Cons: Shorter train, no sparkle, no lace, not sure about the chest fit.

Number 3: Va va voom Jessica Rabbit Taffeta with lace applique

Pros: So what I wanted but strapless! Who am I? Felt amazing on.

Cons: Shorter train, no sparkle

Number 2 (but really tied with #1): Taffeta off the shoulder ball gown

Pros: Hello. Fabulous. Different. Channeling Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. Great for the venue

Cons: Shorter train, no sparkle, doesn't photograph great. WAY better in person.

Number 1 (and breaking the budget!)

Silk organza and chiffon ball gown. All 35 pounds of it.

And with veil:

Here are some detail shots!

Runaway Bride:

3D:

Jessica Rabbit Detail:

V Neck Detail:

So...What do you think?

Must Read: Bossypants by Tina Fey

2011-05-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Bossypants by Tina Fey.
I adored this book.
Tina kills it, but this is my favorite passage, a prayer for her daughter.
Happy Mother's Day!

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Bea......uty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Stats Class Survey! Help us get great data and take the survey!

2011-04-13T19:48:00.001-07:00

I am currently in s statistics class that requires the development, launch and analysis of a survey! Help us out!
Wellness Survey! https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDhTbUFVRG1oTGgtaHVzZElXaFBFNlE6MQ
Thanks!

It's Official! New Job!

2011-02-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

The official email went out today, I am happy to announce that I will be the new Environmental Sustainability Analyst with PetSmart. I will be responsible for creating business cases for green initiatives and engaging our associates in sustainable thinking in their roles. I am so excited to finally so something I am passionate about and be able to make a difference both environmentally and socially.

The Book Thief and Other Reading Adventures

2011-01-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am remiss in not discussing this book right away.

It is quite simply on of those books that just take your breath away. I enjoy the macabre of the grim reaper narration, the German perspective of WWII and the heartbreak of the human condition.

This book is a treasure.

Do your self a favor and enjoy it.

I am also dabbling further into my food knowledge with the following books:

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

I am learning so much about agriculture, where our food comes from and better ways to eat.

I won't bore you with the politics, but I will say this. It is astounding what little we know about what we eat.

I am curious and ready to learn more.

I am also profoundly fascinated by The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.

This autobiographical book discusses a Chinese-American mother's journey of raising two daughters under strict Chinese culture parenting. At times shocking and funny. It definitely opens up a discussion about our permissive culture today.

This book generated a ton of press last week and got me thinking about my own upbringing and my parent's and friend's ever evolving parenting styles. I am not embarrassed to say that I come form a line of pseudo-Tiger Mothers. College is not an option!

And of course: I pre-ordered the Pioneer Woman's love story, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Which she started on her blog and now is a book describing her hilarious and touching city girl transformation to a ranch wife.

Why? Because we love the Pioneer Woman. Amen.

What books are you reading?

Food

2011-01-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

I have been on a bit of a food journey lately and one of my new years resolutions if to eat smarter.
I found this great blog called Fooducate that breaks down some of the modern food issues, especially our relationship to packaged foods.

I especially liked this article on baby's first food, rice cereal, and how most children don't get any whole grains in their diet, setting them up for unhealthy flavor profiles as they grow.
Fooducate also took on my mom's beloved Activia.

Plus, can you guess what this is?

It's chicken.

Here are some great food sites I love:
Tastespotting: Gorgeous photos, amazing food (photo above)
Love & Olive Oil
Slashfood
Check them out!

Lee + Bolton ChristmasNewYearBonanza

2011-01-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

First off, let's gaze at my tree.

I know right!
Thank you, thank you.
Here's what you need to know.
All tree decorations are from Tai Pan Trading that Mom, Pone and David helped CJ and I pick out. Ribbon is from Target.

As for the rest of the house,
CJ's mom Pam has a metric ton of Christmas decor.
I am not kidding.
She invited me over early December to take stock of the situation.
We left with a small fraction of items including a tree, star and skirt. As well as a ton of side table items I will show you below. Bottom line.

We are so lucky to have hoarders in our life.

Bask in the glittery goodness. You see those pokey fan things? All Ponie. Genius.
Also, Wendy hunted those flowers down for me. And when we went back post-Christmas, she HUNTED more of those flowers down for me. Much love Mom. Much love.

Mom also found these. Which pretty much made my life.

Okay on to the rest of the room.
Santa and flying reindeer. YES.

Nativity snow globe paired up with our globe collection and smelly pine cones. Yep, we got 'em!

My attempt at decor (aka sticks in a vase with balls, keeping it classy) with a vintage santa with a gold hat. Hello.

More balls in vases.

And my favorite item of decor! DAN BOLTON!

Dan is modeling our office wall and window decor, I call Tuscan teal vomit.(Sorry CJ).

After Christmas with the Bolton-Zerelka-Kucera families, we headed up to St. G for some post-Christmas revelry with the Joneses.

BUT I didn't take any photos. And you missed out on things like Mom, CJ and Pone playing Wii Fit and trying to virtually bat soccer balls with their heads. My apologies.

New Years's Eve was spent at Chris and Charlyn's with Charlyn's family. CJ proclaimed Charlyn's pulled pork as wondrous. But the best part was seeing the first photos of baby Lee on the fridge!

Then we headed down to the strip. Coldplay and Jay Z were playing at the Cosmopolitan, and they broadcasted the concert out to the strip, so CJ and I waited out the last minutes of 2010 dancing to Coldplay and kissed in 2011 to "Viva la Vida." Pretty perfect, I gotta say.

New Year's Day we dragged Chris down to the Bellagio Gardens and I finally took out my camera.

Notes: The Bellagio ripped off my Christmas Tree design and that penguin is CREEPY.

So there it is. I still need to post Thanksgiving, New York and our go kart adventure where I almost killed DAN BOLTON. So stay tuned!

I am Tiffany Lee and I am 28 today.

Hey It's Christmas!

2010-12-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this great Christmas album at Rockstar Diaries. It has the classics in a new twist.

Also, Unabashedly Prep gives out an amazing collection of new music every month. Just click on the screen shot to download the zip file. This month's features new Adele, Matt & Kim and Jimmy Eat World.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2010-11-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

CJ challenged me to try making some pumpkin recipes from fresh sugar pumpkins we picked up at the store this week, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. So tonight I made Curried Pumpkin Soup. This dish was so rich, with that perfect Indian hint of spice. I added some hot chicken sausage and it just took it over the top. The best part was blending it all up in the food processor (a kitchen nemesis of mine, but we are working on our relationship after one too many pulverized salsas). You can also substitute butternut squash for pumpkin if you have a ton left over (like me).

I placed the whole pumpkins in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and the shells were perfectly hard and deep orange. I took a serrated knife to the tops and scooped out the seeds for roasting. After that I was able to scoop out all the orange pumpkin goodness, two pumpkins made about five cups of filling! Bargain considering what a can of pumpkin is going for in the stores. Next time, I will lop off the tops and scoop out the seeds before cooking, because it got messy, I am not going to lie to you. But the shells were hard and perfect for serving the soup.

Here is the finished product with recipe below:

Curried Pumpkin Soup

From Epicurious.com, modified by me.
Ingredients:

2 hot chicken sausage links
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 (15-oz) cans solid-pack pumpkin (3 1/2 cups; not pie filling)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

Cook sausage and onions in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in salt, red pepper flakes, pumpkin, broth, and coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl, and return soup to pot. Keep soup warm over low heat.

Crispy Honey Chicken (or How I Exploded Our Microwave)

2010-11-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I made Crispy Honey Chicken by How Sweet It Is.

This is what it should have looked like:

Instead, mine turned into a stage 5 DISASTER.

First off, I am not so skilled in dredging. By the time I was done dunking the chicken in egg white and dredging the pieces through the cornstarch, the kitchen looked like a crime scene involving paper mache.

Second, when a recipe calls for honey in the title, make sure you have enough. I was trying to stretch a my meager honey supply into 1/3 cup and needed every last drop from the bottle, so I did what my mom always did when she needed to liquefy honey, in put the bottle in the microwave. I pressed start just as CJ was walking through the front door, so I ran downstairs to say hi, completely forgetting the honey.

While we were downstairs we heard this giant "BOOM!" so loud that we both jumped. We ran to upstairs to check out the noise and before I even reached the kitchen, I knew what had happened. I had exploded the bottle of honey all over the inside of the microwave! Apparently, I accidentally pressed "add minute" on the control pad! I opened the microwave door, gasped and shut the door. The mess was unbelievable. Honey dripped in strings from globs all over the ceiling of the microwave and oozed into the corners.CJ asked if he could see the disaster and I said, "No way, you'll make me buy a new microwave. Some things are best left unseen."

CJ nodded, calmly walked to the pantry, reached in and pulled out a big vat of honey. Then he said, "This is almost as much fun as that time you and your mom nearly burnt my house down using pork chops."

RIGHT.

I was cleaning honey out of that microwave for an hour.

Am I the only one with dinner disasters like this?

Squash Challenge

2010-11-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have news.
Ever since I was a kid, I had a deep, unabiding loathing for squash of the orange ilk.

Maybe because of the color or smell, but most definitely the taste. Sweet vegetables are not my thing. Sweet potatoes? Kill me now, just don't place them in front of me at Thanksgiving.

But this season, I have been seeing all these great savory butternut squash recipes popping up on my favorite food blogs (especially Mrs. Sweet) and I decided maybe squashes won't be my culinary Achilles Heel (Flaked coconut and eel still bring me to my knees, no budging there). I decided to give non-sweet squash a go.

And with that, you will be shocked! Amazed! Flabbergasted!

I actually took on a squash challenge!

That is right!

Butternut!

Acorn!

Spaghetti!

And I make a different dish every night. The results are exceptional. I am a new woman, and it's easy to prep on Sunday night in addition to all the veggies I cut up for the week.

This year has seen some development in not only my palate, but also my diet. I learned to cook Indian and Thai recipes and to be a lot more conscious about what I put in my body. I learn the most from my friends. Hally Cooper taught me fish, Laurie taught me pizza, Malissa taught me guacamole, Emily taught me veggies, Cassie taught me passion, my Mom taught me timing and the Pioneer Woman and Jamie Oliver taught me everything else.

What are your new cooking challenges?

Mopping

2010-11-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

“Lately I feel like somebody made a big mess and I’ve got my mop and I’m mopping the floor and the folks who made the mess are there (saying) ‘You’re not mopping fast enough. You’re not mopping the right way. It’s a socialist mop.’”

-

Barack Obama