Christmas Tag...

I was tagged by Andrea for this Christmas Meme.
Let's see:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I would have to say Hot Chocolate... but only like once a year! I wish I liked Egg Nog though- because everyone loves it and talks about how much they love it!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? They are always wrapped... but I am waiting for him to give me a car- and am assuming that won't be wrapped! ha ha!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Right now- neither! My roommate is in charge and she hasn't done anything!
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No! We did once at BYU-I. And there is a guy in my ward that has a mistletoe party! Yikes. I made that mistake last year.
5. When do you put your decorations up? If I had any here- I would have started at LEAST 3 weeks ago! I have been listening to Christmas music for about a month now!!
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I am going to have to say my Mom's stuffing as well. Just thinking about it makes me drool!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Let's see.... I loved that we got a small box of cereal in our stocking and would eat it for breakfast! And open our stockings on Mom and Dad's bed! And even though it was totally awkward standing there listening to them sing (especially if you were the only one home)- I LOVED when the Dahl's came caroling and sang "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains."
8. How and When did you learn the truth about Santa? I was trying to remember... I am sure my sisters ruined it for me. They ruin everything good. ha ha!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? It used to be pajamas... maybe I will have to start buying myself pajamas to open.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I actually haven't decorated one in a REALLY long time since I am never home in time to do it and my roommates and I never do it. My roommate set up our tree last year but didn't want to decorate it (I still don't understand...) so I am going to ask her this year if I can decorate it... so I need to come up with something cheap and easy. My mission was probably the last time I decorated a tree- the Relief Society in my last area asked my companion and I to decorate a tree for the RS room. It was SOOO cute. We cut out doves, hearts and stars from construction paper and wrote on them- respectively- peace, love and joy! And added raffia for a little touch of class. Ha ha! Long story for a short question. Sorry!
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT! And wish we had it! I am watching the news right now and they are talking about snow everywhere but here! Sheesh! I think part of the reason I really want it is for a snow day- you talk about snow here and EVERYTHING shuts down! Plus it just isn't Christmas without snow! Good thing I will be home in 19 days! Yippee!
12. Can you ice skate? I think so... it has been FOREVER since I last tried so I don't know if I still can!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember I got a teddy bear that had a radio in it! That was the coolest thing EVER! I LOVE every gift I get!
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spreading Christmas Cheer, by singing loud for all to hear! LOL! Name that movie... Seriously though- I love spreading Christmas cheer- not by singing though- and being with my fam!
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? So many choices... I don't know if this is really a dessert but I LOVE the caramel popcorn my Mom makes. I have been craving it for 11 months now!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We only have a few traditions- and I like them all- pizza on Christmas Eve, open stockings before breakfast, tea ring for Breakfast, open presents one by one! Delivering popcorn (mentioned above) to different families. I would like to start the tradition of doing the 12 Days for Christmas- but I am never in the same place for the 12 days before Christmas... one day!
17. What tops your tree? Nothing yet- but if I decorate it, I will post a picture (if I get my camera back!)
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I like giving!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I have ALOT-
* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- by the Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLaughlan (& BYUI Men's chorus)
* O Holy Night
* It's the Holiday Season- by Andy Williams
* Ave Maria
* Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains
* Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey- I heard this song last year on the radio and it is HILARIOUS! You need to hear it if you haven't!
* Okay pretty much if it is a Christmas song- I LOVE it... and have been listening to it for a month now!
20. What is your favorite Christmas story? I can't think of anything specific but I LOVE the stories that President Monson tells about Christmas miracles.

Wow! That took a lot longer than I thought! Thanks for reading it all! Umm... I will tag anyone who wants to do it- pretty much Kim and Mikaela are the only other ones who read this that haven't already been tagged!!! Yeah- another reader- Emily Kate is officially tagged too!

NYC= Food

I'm back from NYC... and NO pictures to share! Why you ask? My camera broke- AGAIN! I am so sad. I think it happened sometime on Wednesday as I hauled my bag around the WHOLE city the WHOLE day! I actually did take 2 pictures at Pommes Frites- this awesome fry shop- but I have no way to get them off!! The fries were great. They fry them right in front of you and you have like 30 sauces to choose from! And you can sample all you want! I went for the dill lemon mayo! Yummy! The parade was fun... even though it was cold, wet and windy! We didn't last long! I was sad when I took out my camera to take a picture of the Super Grover balloon- and that is when I discovered it was broken! A guy in my friends ward is a chef and made Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of people- SOO good! Yummy! Friday, before heading home we stopped at Rice to Riches- the cutest place. It serves rice pudding and only rice pudding! Also provides samples- as if that helps to make up your mind!! I went for the cookies and cream! So good! They give it to you in a cute dish with a funky spoon! A must try! So as you can tell the highlight of my trip was the food!! But isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? Good thing we walked for 2 days straight to burn it all off!

Bigger & better

So a package I ordered came today!!! And my good ol' mailman didn't let me down with his package hiding. ha ha! Love it. I almost didn't even know it was there! HA!

In my head...

my blog is really good. I am constantly seeing and thinking of things that would make GREAT posts... but then they never happen. So I apologize for it being lame here... but know that it's the thoughts that count right? Ha ha!
Well I am off to NYC on Wednesday. I am so excited but yet nervous! I am taking a bus from DC to NYC... and have to metro it to the bus stop! Yikes. Thank goodness my friend is meeting me in NYC but she has to work 3 hours after picking me up so I am on my own Wednesday afternoon. She is going to get me tickets to some show...
what show? I do not know. I REALLY hope it is something good. She is a little more riskay (is that how you spell it???) than me so that scares me!! Thank goodness her friend will be going with me so I don't have to get back to her apartment alone after midnight!!! And might I add - I have to do all this with my luggage??!!! My goal is to pack REALLY light! I will only be there for 2 days so it shouldn't be too hard!
Right?
Thursday we are going to the Macy's Parade... hopefully we will see more than the 2 minutes we saw last year. ( see the end of the 2nd last balloon in the photo...)

And I am hoping to do some serious shopping on Friday (a.k.a. the biggest shopping day of the year!!) Target here I come!!

Ha! Ha!

I need to start this with an apology to Andrea... please don't be mad but it was necessary!
I went to Buffalo this weekend to visit my favorite Amanda!! I have had some SERIOUS roots from my many hightlightings (by my personal stylist, Andrea- I love you!) So we were at Target Saturday night and were planning to go home to watch a movie... I had been wanting to dye my hair for a while but kept putting it off. Well that morning we were in the temple and the lady in front of me had horrible roots so I decided it was time. I always struggle picking the right color. With Amanda's help, I decided to go with Medium Brown. Yesterday was my first day back at school- I had my hair in a pony so not too many people noticed my new look. A few of my students did and one even said... "It looks so much better than before!" Gee thanks. It is a little darker than I was planning but I have gotten tons of compliments. I will try and post a picture later. Just had to tell you how kind teenagers can be. Gotta go.

My new obsession....

So I have been a MVP member at Hollywood Video for a few months (like Netflix but it is all done in store). So after 3 times of having late fees, I decided it was time for a change- I joined Blockbuster online- which is exactly like netflix but you can return them to the store and get a movie right away! So anyways... my friend has been telling me about Veronica Mars (a TV show) and how much she loves it. I would always forget to watch it but now it is right after Gilmore Girls, so it has become part of my Tuesday night! I ordered the first 2 seasons and just finished the first disc last night... and I want more. I am trying to figure out how soon I can leave work and keep watching (or watch it at work... while grading papers and stuff- but then I might never leave)- and then mail them back for 3 more! This is exactly why I stay away from TV shows- because I KNOW that I will get hooked! 3 down... 11 DVD's to go! Yikes!

What I did...

I told her... I said that I made it for her birthday but when she got home late, I figured she had been out celebrating. I told her she could eat it whenever she wanted... and she decided we needed to have a piece before the party. Of course I supported that. It was pretty frozen but still tasty. I think it is going to take us a LONG time to eat it. And now we have 5 containers of ice cream in our freezer. Yikes. And of course I am going to have to eat it. I have an ice cream problem! Here are pictures of the outside of my cake (ready and waiting for her to arrive- candle from Dollarama!!!)- and the inside. I bought Betty Crocker Bake n' Fill pans from Target (on clearance of course) and gave them a try. Very fun!


































Today is going to be my productive day (key word- GOING TO) I have needed to organize my room desperately so today is the day! The only reason I can leave is to go buy milk at the grocery store! Wish me luck!

What to do...

So yesterday was my roommate's birthday. So I made a yummy cake, with ice cream in the middle. Another friend and I are having a party for her tonight (which has been a big kerfuffle- I wanted it to be a big shindig for her at our place, with a fun theme- he changed it after I sent out the email so now it is a combined party with his roommate at his place with no theme), so I was going to give her the cake yesterday. She said she had a meeting after work and would be home at 7. Another friend was over working on a project with me so we were all ready with candles in her cake, camera ready, lights off, waiting for her to walk in the door... she never came. Our friend left, the cake went back in the freezer, I went to bed. Right when I turned out my light, my roommate came home. I was too tired to do anything, and I assumed she had gone somewhere to celebrate. Well this morning I find out that her meeting was cancelled so she went to work at the temple (as she does every thursday- except when she has meetings). So I thought I would take the cake to the party tonight- then I find out that the friend hosting the party, bought a REALLY big chocolate cake. Now I just feel DUMB! I don't know what to do. Do I tell my roommate that I had a little something planned for her but because she came home late, she missed out? Do I bring the cake to the party and have WAY too much chocolate cake? (and take the chance that it will melt all over). Or do we eat it on Saturday? I am just sich a fan of communication and it frustrates me when people don't. I guess I didn't communicate to my roommate that I was having a little something for her but I did ask her when she would be home from her meeting... I like to keep somethings a surprise! Anyways... I will figure something out... it just makes me sad that I had BIG plans and they have all been smooshed!

Halloween Cookies

I found a recipe for the coolest candycorn cookies (click here for recipe) - so I made them. Yummy! And they are pretty easy.









I actually doubled the recipe so they are twice the size they should be! Next time I think I will do less orange. But so fun. Also, each pan I cooked a little shorter time, but they still ended up VERY crunchy. Yet still tasty! I took them to FHE and they were a big hit.