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.