Christmas Breakfast

I was super excited about this pancake pan I found (nordicware).


I made these small 2 inch pancakes for breakfast today.
I loved about everything I got for chrismtas. It was pretty awesome.

Ultimate Christmas Guide.

How to have an awesome Christmas (or, things I would do if I had the time).

1. Get Crime scene tape and tape off your driveway. Put down a chalk outine of Santa. Stamp "reindeer prints" walking away from the outline in costume blood.

2. Make and wear candy cane stripe leggings. Wear with Ruby Red Slippers. Also wear a candy cane striped long sleve undershirt under a red shirt.


3. Make Cake Balls decorated like ornamets, and hang them on the tree.

4. make 3 sizes of white cake balls and decorate little "Cake Snowmen"

5. Make one of these, but with Carmel instead of Chocolate, or with Green cake balls (I'm not obsesed, I just really want to bake...)

6. Do this to all the snow

color of the day

For whatever reason, I am really digging this color combination right now... I should do something with it. javascript:void(0)

THings of Christmas, and not of christmas.

I have the cutest husband... see below the note he sent me. I am super excited about the gifts I got him (and some other peoples gifts too). I wish I could show you all, but that would ruin surprises, and to me, "THE SURPRISE FACTOR" IS EVERYTHING.

I'm not kidding. I've taken gifts back before because someone knew what I was getting them. I also love disguising obvious gifts as something else (when I have the time). Also, I don't like to shake and guess my gifts. It ruins the suspense for all the days coming up to Xmas. Sometimes I still try and figure it out right before I open it.


My work is having an XMas Party. This will be my first work party EVER (well, aside from the bowling alley where they let us all bowl for free). Now I feel all growed up. Here is the top half of the invite.... I thought it was awesome.

Were actually technically still the company known as Northridge Media, but we recently got a new "business parter" who has reorganized the business for tax purposes, so now we have more than one company name some how. He is an accountant and frankly I am surprised the 2 boss men got along this long without an accountant. They can't manage money worth shiz. I could track their finances better than they did. They are great in other ways, which is how our craft mag has been able to survive while other magazines are crumbling... we really have a great product . Our Accountant is going to make sure that they don't spend money before our paychecks have cleared. ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL?!?!?

I made ornaments, etc.

This Christmas, I feel like I have been nesting. not for a baby, mind you, but for Christmas... if that is possible. My desire to wrap presents, decorate, put up a tree, and make ornaments has been stronger than I ever remember.

We don't have a tree right now, but I went on an ornament kick.

This one I made yesterday with my new soldering iron. It celebrated my love hate relationship with snow.

Carrisa made one of her own too, but I didn't bring it home and photograph hers.

Also, earlier this week, I decided to make cinnamon applesauce ornaments like I did when I was younger. I haven't put any ribbons on them yet though. If you look carefully, you can tell it is still wet in the center.

The ones bellow (except for one star) are drying upside down.

The batch turned out much much larger than I thought it would. After, I think, 4 or 5 hours I threw away the rest of the dough scraps. I also have plenty of cinnamon left if anyone wants it. I got it cheep and when I got it home, I discovered some of them were missing their safety seals, so I don't want to bake with it.

And I know the next one isn't an ornament, but I wanted to share the prettiest sugar cookies I have ever decorated. I don't really like sugar cookies, but I made these for a reshoot of the Feb cover of our Mag. They wanted it to be more valentines day themed. It took me 5 hours to get some that were pretty looking. I've never been that good at decorating cookies.

And, of course, because they wanted me to reshoot it more obviously valentines day themed, they chose this photo below and cropped it so that you don't really know sugar cookies are there.

I will admit though, it does look better than the previous image we were going to use.

I bought some reindeer and snowflakeish wall stickers. I love the door. (and to the left are the stockings I made the first year we were married).

Excuse the bad photos, I was in a rush because I was on a deadline to shoot that cover I mentioned before.

Then there is the pantry door

And the fancy snow flakes. I don't know why I put them all on one side like that, but I felt like it.

This is the culprit

This is the evil piece of paper (on my thumb) that somehow got into my dvd drive, making nasty noises when the optical head wouldn't park.

It was hidden in there pretty good, but my brett wouldn't give up until he found the reason behind those grinding crazy noises.

So see. Getting a husband saved me 100-300 dollars on computer repair.

computer.

I put a dvd into my computer today and my computer went crazy. Restarted and wouldn't load up properly.

Brett took it apart for me (I was scared), the DVD seemed fine.

but he kept looking, and found a piece of paper underneath the little lazer thing.

My DVD slot is nothing more than a slit. how on earth did paper get in there.

Computer is fine. I am happy.

IT is nice to be married to my own personal IT department.

ANd when I told him what was wrong, he didn't even ask me if it was plugged in, or if I had tried turning it on and off again.

Horrah for boots! (boo for tacky fur)

Dressing for Snow sucks.

It was about 5 years in Utah before I learned the magic of layering. Where I grew up, if it was cold, you put on a hoodie. if it was cold and windy you put on a light jacket.

And so I slowly learned to wear long sleeves, with a hoodie, with a sweater, with a jacket...and I was still cold.

Then one day I married a Brett, and he taught me how to shop for winter clothes.

And I got some end of season ski mittens for 15 bucks, and they were much better than layering 15 of the 99 cent gloves.

And he picked out for me an end of season ski jacket for 80 bucks and it was much warmer than the 80 buck ski jacket I picked out my freshman year.

ANd he taught me that scarves were worth the hassle.

SI wish I had Had a personal "dressing for cold weather advisor" back in 2000 when I first came here. I might have hated Utah less.

So, This has been the best dressed winter for me, but instead of my usual stingyness, I've been holding out until I can splurge and go all out on the thing that is just perfect.

like spending $20 ski leggings for under my pants instead of wearing $5buck girly leggings.

SO I spent a great number of hours searching for affordable snow boots under $100. bucks. Because I hate walking in the snow and getting wet feet.

after many stores, I found these boots. I was going to buy something else, and I found them ditched by the cash register. They were the only pair left in the store, fit all of my requirements. AND they were my size.

Mine looks more universally black though.

My requirements
1. They were waterproof.
2. They don't slip around on my heel (like those stupid ug-like ones).
3. The are comfortable enough to walk around in for a while (these were the only boots I tried on that passed this one)

Bonus features I wanted but would have went without:
1. fast on and off, so I can slip them on to take the Dog out potty.
2. Black
3. They aren't the ugliest of the boots I tried on.
4. awesome traction
5. decently warm.

Disappointments:
1. Fur. I hate fur.


So while there are sexier boots out there, It made my day (Tuesday) that I found the otherwise perfect boots for my needs.

It also made me happy when I looked online and found them for 140... and I was feeling guilty for spending 60...

Pre Teen Me

I Know I shouldn't admit it, but I have this thing for Pre-Teen TV shows.

They are, starting with the one I am most ashamed of (the crappiest of them):

1. Hannah Montana.THE SHAME, IT BURNS. I know it isn't that great, but I watch it. Only one of her songs is worthy of being called a song (and no, not Party in the USA), but horrible acting, predictable plots and all, I enjoy watching it.

2. Wizards of Waverly Place. I actually think Selena Gomez is a decent actress for her age. Plus she is super cute. I often like her hair, and while I don't always like her clothes, some of them are cute. See. isn't she so cute.
3. iCarly. The name was so lame, I only recently started watching this, but I really like it. Sam is my favorite. She's my pre-teen hero.

I think I started watching them in protest to all the stupid Teen Soap Operas on the WB.

Dear websites

YOu ever notice that few websites that have the option of setting a price range let you set anything below 25? I'm sorry, but no one I shop for gets a 25 dollar gift... or very rarely. Not that I wouldn't like to, but I am just not that rich.... or if it is 25, it is for the whole family to share. I suppose they think I will get annoyed and buy something more expensive than I was planning for, but in truth, it just takes me longer to find a gift idea I like. Either that, or I end up buying their gift in a store because I find something their before I find something online in my price range.

I take it back

I was telling brett that I wanted the flip camera, and he pointed out that the new nano takes video. I don't need another mp3 player, but 50 bucks more,and you can fit 8 hours of video instead of the 2 that the flip fits.... heck. And I can probably get it in orange. Yummy.

The problem with shopping for other people

I woke up this morning at 3.

This going to bed earlier thing is being very strange to me. I sleep about 6 hours instead of 9. I mean, I've heard that the sleep you get before midnight counts as double, but this is weird. Also, each day I want to go to bed earlier and earlier. Before you know it, I am going to be waking up at midnight... or I am going to be a grandpa. never sleeping, just taking hour long naps every 3 hours.

Anyhow. With nothing to do, after an hour of lying in bed, awake, I got up to see what 4 am had in store for me. I scoped all the black friday ads I could find online, and found myself thoroughly untempted. There goes entertaining myself driving from store to store.

So, I shopped amazon. Checking the gift lists I made on it (I love that you can make gift lists for people... Then I come back later and remember what things in the past I came across and thought someone would enjoy BUT I HATE THEIR FORMAT. They could make it much more user friendly). Anyhow, it is a shame, but some people are still gift-idea-less, while others have several prospects. ... so I went on the hunt.

And of course, I find cool things that iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii want.

And that is the problem with shopping for other people. It makes me lust for material things.

I'd love to share all the cool ideas I have for other people, but then they would read this and their surprise would be ruined. For me, this is the joy of gift giving. trying to come up with things people want, but don't expect... or didn't know they wanted. I enjoy the hunt.

Since I can't spoil all the surprises, I give you, my temptations, in no particular order.

1.
I want to buy it for myself while it is this cheep. How nice it would be to have a camera that didn't weigh 10 pounds. sometimes you don't need HD. you need blogging quality, and that is it. I cold make Brett buy it for me, but that t akes the fun out of christmas.



2. I want one of these... to can soups and chilis and other meaty suchs. That way when we make a big batch, we don't have to eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. The thing is... I see it as too practicle and wrestle with weather or not I want it as a gift. Maybe I'd rather not have it at all so I can get something fun. I'm a brat I know.





3. I am always wanting tools. Such a girl. Most of the ones I want are several hundred dollars. This, is only 50.... ( not a cheep one, but a good one) but... A lady at work insists I can borrow hers if I get my own tip, and that is much more practical until I determine how often I will use it. I have some projects I want to do, but don't know if I will have enough time.




4. I've also wanted one of these for a while, though my desire to dable in the soldering arts has suppressing my desire to learn and play around with silk screening. I just love making things and learning knew "arts"

Desktop invadors

For thanksgiving, I drew this and tiled onto my mother-in-law's desktop. She said it was vile.

A few of my favorite things- Eye liner

Many years ago, I was frustrated with eyeliner, yet dependent on it because I had recently discovered it made a huge difference on my eyes... aka people thought I was old enough to drive (a good think when you are in your 3rd year of college). So I turned to a roommate putting on her make up and asked her "Do you know of an eye liner that is liquid but doesn't flake?" For whatever reason, at the time, I couldn't get a strait line with a pencil but figured out a way to get it strait with liquid.... but every liquid I had tried thus far ended up flaking throughout the day, so my strait line ended up missing chunks. Yuuuuummmmm.

To my surprise, without any hesitation, she handed me one of these powder eyeliners from clinique. you get the brush wet, and voila!. I wish they had a darker brown though... for now I use black. I was hesitant to buy it because it was 15 bucks, but they've all lasted me close to 2 full years, so whatever. My one complaint is that I am usually in a hurry to do a make up quicky, and to get this at the right darkness and thickness I like, I have to have patience, so I often use a pencil that just ends up smudging throughout the day instead. boo.

A few of my favorite things-Silpat

I used to put down wax paper when I made cookies because I hate cleaning cookie sheets. When I discovered this trick, it made my day.

Silpats retail about 20 bucks, depending o size. I found mine at a garage sale, opened but never used, FOR 50 CENTS!
I don't have to clean my pan, nothing really sticks to the silpat yet, so cleaning it is super easy. I've used it for pizzas and cookies, and I'm excited to use it for everything I can. DON"T CUT ANYTHING ON THE MAT THOUGH! It will ruin it.

a few of my favorite things- fancy cooking oils

OIL:
I found this out prop shopping at Ross or TJ Max or something. I thought Brett would have fun with it so I got it as a surprise.
I'm not a huge fan or walnuts, but I used it in some chocolate cake and brownies instead of vegetable oil, and even though I thought it was too strong in the batter, once baked, I was subtly addicted and ate leftovers all weekend.

A few of my favorite things- Mascara

I finally found a mascara I love. Tarte's 4 day lash stain. I insist on waterproof and I don't want thick clumpy lashes. I want natural lashes, only darker.
My last mascara would fade before the end of the day and I hated that. I paid $6 dollars for this Tarte 6 day mascara. it stays on all day, darkens my lashes so you can see their full length, and are not obnoxious tarantulas legs. As for the full 6 days, well, YOu aren't supposed to use any oil based makeups around it and probably can only use certain face washes. I don't pay attention to any of that, so it doesn't last 4 days, but I'm still happy.

I just discovered

I just discovered that I can schedule posts. and it makes my day. My work's blog has a scheduling future blogs feature, and I love it, and my boss told me that blogspot does it too, but I never actually saw the feature anywhere.
Now I am happy because I get to cut up one rediculously long post and make it into a series of smaller meaningless posts. AWESOME!

A few of my favorite things- tartar sauce.

I know you don't read this for the product reviews, but that is what I've been thinking about lately. Things I have recently discovered, love and would recommend. Then when a friend blogged about this humidity blocker for hair she loved, I figured "why not, I'm gunna rave about awesome things."



TARTAR SAUCE:
Brett and I have been in a fish stick grove lately. I'm pretty picky with fish, and fish sticks must have tartar sauce, So we tried a good 5 or so varieties as an comparison. This Beaver Tartar sauce is amazing. I think it is the capers they put in it.
On the other hand, stay away from this stuff below. it is Nasty.

Elegant Mr. P.

Remember how this was selling for $400...




ya, um.... I was having a hard day when I shot the cover. I hope the artist can forgive me... but even more than that... I hope they never, ever, ever find out about it. Hopefully they are easy going enough to trust that I was still careful with it.... but I had to shoot that cover 3 times...grrr

Grandma Joyce's in June

I was going to work on reunion photos, but these have been sitting untouched for longer... so Mom's side of the family won.