REVIEW: Black Sheep Cafe

I went to Black Sheep Cafe this past weekend with my lovely Summer Solstice Sorority (Meagan, Rachel, & Brook). It's a small cafe right in old town Provo serving Southwest Native American cuisine. The space is lovely with large windows & simple Southwest decor- even a silversmith making jewelry right in the same space. And, most importantly, the menu is out of this world. Mostly because of how deliciously the food is described.

I mean, just check out the difference in descriptions:
I'd say: "a hamburger"
AND
They say: "Hand-Pressed Ground Beef stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Garlic, topped with Portabello Mushroom Slices, Fire-Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Lettuce and wrapped in a Homemade Nanniskadi"

Not only did the food sound delicious but it tasted fantastic too- seriously, a revelation, people. I was STUFFED at the end of my meal. I was prepared to refuse the waiter when he tried to offer us dessert until, again, he described them: "A cactus pear Cheesecake, Orange habanero Creme Brulee, Carrot Cake with homemade caramel & homemade ice cream."

Yeah... we got one of each.

Pinning

I finally broke down, after many many people sang the lauds of Pinterest, & joined. I have to say I am not disappointed.

I tend to have TONS of files with pictures saved from random things I love on the internet:

Also, a million & one book marks of tutorials I want to try:

Now, I have them all in one spot, not taking up space on our hard drive & I have found TONS of awesome ideas already from just browsing various friends Pinterest boards:

There are party ideas, recipes, cleaning tips, tutorials, art, & kid activities. You name it, you'll probably find it there.

If you guys are on tell me your name or find me (oliviacarter) & let's share the love of Pinterest! Or if you'd like an invite let me know!

Review: TANGLED

To hide the frigid temperatures (hello, high of 10 degrees) the kids & I hit up a matinee of TANGLED & we all really enjoyed it (yes, me too).

Syd loved the funny parts. Rob loved the music. And my favorite part was that the "prince" had more personality then just the stand in dude for the princess to marry & this guy was a great "bad boy" character too.

Did anyone else see it? What did you guys think?

5 star book: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

I've been following the process of Across the Universe being published through this lovely blog of dystopic authors, so when the book finally came out I could not wait to read it. It's a genre buster: dystopic, science fiction, romance, & murder mystery all rolled into one.

A couple things I loved about this book:
1. It has a strong female lead & a rare "nice-guy" lead
2. It takes place on a spaceship (I'm a big sci-fi geek)
3. It's pretty romantic (though the cover makes it look more romantic than it actually is)
4. I was genuinely surprised by a number of the twists
5. It has TWO covers! (I don't know what I'd have to do to earn two sides to a cover but I'm sure gonna try)

Now, warnings... there is one section that has some sexuality. Not "sexy" sexuality & it's pertinent to the plot of the book, but I wish I had been semi-warned about it because it was pretty creepy.

Other than that one part, I really loved the book. I think if you are a fan of dystopic, sci-fi, romance, or mysteries you're going to dig this one.

REVIEW: Aquire, Power Grid, & Colosseum

When visiting the Carters, one of the parts I most look forward to is the game playing. You all know my affection for games (here, here, & here).

This Thanksgiving break we enjoyed 3 new games of varying stress levels: Aquire, Power Grid, & Colosseum

LOW STRESS: The premise of Colosseum sounded a bit lame to me (you have to put together the best ancient Roman play to draw the most spectators) but it ended up being a really strategic but laid back & lively too.

MEDIUM STRESS: Aquire is a really simple game to learn to play but it does have a lot of strategy & competition. You are basically a real estate tycoon buying up properties & then trying to retain majority stock in each place.

HIGH STRESS: Power Grid is a high stress game. I love these type too, but it is much more involved & a way longer game. It involved buying power plants to power cities & connecting them all.

Has anyone out there played these games?
Any MUST PLAY ones that you guys love?

P.S. if you really want the conosurs of games like these you've gotta talk to my sis&bro-in-law Matt & Kristal. They know them all!

5 STAR REVIEW: Clockwork Angel

We all know I loved the The Mortal Instruments seriesby Cassandra Clare (& by the way, she is writing 3 more in the series- woot!) so I figured I was going to like her next book Clockwork Angel(which will be a series of 3 books called Infernal Devices). What I wasn't expecting was to LOVE IT.

It was an impeccably written, action filled mystery full of fantastic characters & unforgettable moments (for anyone that's read it already can I just say three words- The. Glove. Scene). It takes place in industrial era LONDON & has a lovely "steampunk" feel to it (if you don't follow me on Twitter than you probably haven't heard but its a new fav).

Check it out if you haven't read it & if you have what did you think?

REVIEW: Kangaroo Zoo

Has anyone heard of Kangaroo Zoo? Esther invited the kids & I to go today and, goodness, it's basically a kids paradise.

It's a big warehouse filled with tons of those huge blow up bounce houses & slides. For the moms there are comfy couches & free wi-fi. And there are no shoes allowed in most of the building & that somehow makes everything feel more casual.

They came home worn out, but happy little clams.

P.S. You can print a coupon off here.

REVIEW: Highland Splash Park

My friend Susan invited the kids & I to join her at a free splash park in Highland. It was a bit of a drive but worth it.

It's a neat little park, with a river-ish stream that's constantly flowing, rocks to jump off of, and little spouts of water to play in. Plus there's a flat area with spouts shooting out of the ground.

And as for the important things for mommies, there are lots of benches or grass to chill on & potties. Make sure you bring buckets or toys to float down the river. Oh, & mom's no matter what you think you'll get wet so dress accordingly.

We went early (10:30ish) & that was good because when we left around 12:30 it was REALLY busy. But, it was a blast! Call me, let's go play there together!

REVIEW: SMASH Burger

Scott went to eat with some work friends & when he came back he told me, "You gotta go to this place called Smash Burger!"

I was skeptical. Burgers? Aren't they pretty much the same?

PROS:
1. The biggest darn meat patties I've ever seen

2. The famous Beehive Burger (honey BBQ sauce, applewood smoked bacon, & fried onions)

3. My favorite is the SMASH FRIES (rosemary & garlic flavored) w/ copious amounts of fry sauce

CONS:
1. This is not "fast" food. Since they are fresh it takes time
2. It's expensive for a burger. For the big burger, fries, & a drink it's a little over $11

We took some friends there to thank them for a "city dump run" with their truck & I was just reminded of the yumminess of this place!

ECLIPSE: the movie

I can't even tell you how much I love midnight releases. Eclipse did not disappoint & it was a great way to kick of my birthday too!

We started off at Chilli's consuming copious amounts of Diet Coke so we could stay awake for the movie (and yes, that's me in a crazy birthday hat)

Once we got inside we did our giveaways (books, CDs, DVDs, candy, etc) & trivia, then enjoyed the movie.

THE MOVIE: I mean, it's Twilight, so you are gonna have the "CHEESE factor" turned on high, but ah, I love the cheese in this form. It's like that nacho cheese. Smooth & spicy. (yes, that makes no sense)

A COUPLE MOVIE POINTS:
1. This movie actually made me waver on my Team Jacob-ness. (can't put my finger on why yet)
2. Edward wasn't nearly as creepy jealous in this movie as he was in the book, but it was controlling enough to creep-fest me out.
3. Loved the "Does this guy own a shirt?" line because the naked chest-ness seemed more excessive placed this movie (just me?)
4. Loved Bellas monologue at the end. Really, her motives were WAY better than the book.
5. Bella's wig bugged me a good chunk of the movie.

Okay, guys, what'd you think? Give me your reviews!

P.S. Past Twilight movie fun here & here.