A newlywed, new to running, and new professional. This blog isn't for those looking for amazing race stats or great photos. It's a place to keep me motivated and maybe help someone else decide to take the plunge and sign up for a race. Also includes a sprinkle of cupcakes, Disney princesses, tiaras, and cats.
Before I head out shopping with my soon to be mother-in-law (yup, we made it safely to Charlotte) I'd like to point out that EVERYONE is getting engaged. For some reason I thought spring was the sparkly time of year, but I suppose the holidays are good for it too. I can't imagine being engaged while still in undergrad, in fact I don't think I knew anyone while I was in undergrad that was engaged, but I suppose times are changing.
I'm crossing my fingers and toes for a couple of different besties to have the question popped! I know it must be really frustrating to see all these engagements popping up, when in the back of your mind you're waiting for a ring. I was lucky enough to be one of the first engaged so I didn't have to feel that way, but I know I would have had moments where I felt like waity katie.
Just thought I would share an observation. Happy Monday!
That basically sums up where I've been the last two days. Couldn't come up with a B for shopping ;) As I told you all Bran got her Tuesday evening and we've been busy bees since then. On Thursday morning at somepoint my car window was smashed. They got my Garm GPS (hope Santa brings me a new one) and a few inexpensive cords. Most frusterating part was getting a new window. Oh well, Karma sucks right?
I had the baby that day as well, and then we crafted all night and wrapped gifts like a fean. Bran made delicious pad thai,
and I think this is the best for Christmas gifts we have done ever! I'm sooo excited for everyone to open everything. We did alot of crafty things I'll have to share after the holidays =). Friday we shopped all day and I had to make an unexpected visit to the minute clinic (that took an hour, not a minute) but all in all it was a productive day.
Enough with my words. Here some thoughts and interests from Pinterest. :D
Mmk so I'm linking up with Vintage Apple AND telling you the tragedy of my kitchen skills. Go link up here and show me whatcha found on Pintrest this week!
So if you have read any of my blog you have realized that I'm terrible in the kitchen. Both of this disasters are all pintrests fault! I decided to make cake balls the other night...
They are suppose to look like this...
Needless to say mine ended up the garbage can.
First of all I made them with white cake and chocolate frosting. I don't like white cake so I'm not sure why on earth I even had that in the cabinet. When I went to the put the sticks into the actual cake mixture, I opened the bag and dumped the sticks out. They are sticks, therefore they roll. And roll they did all over the kitchen. As I dipped them and tried to swirl them to make a nice smooth layer of chocolate, all I got was lumps. I can't even give these away, who would eat lumpy cake?!
After I dipped the damn things I then realized the shoe box lid I used as make shift Styrofoam wouldn't hold the completed cake pops up. Who has Styrofoam just laying around anyways... Alas a fail.
The night before I tried the cake pops, I wanted to make something that look relatively easy, Funfetti fudge.
You just mix a can of condensed milk with white chocolate. Okay but let me tell you this. The recipe says 4-6 cups of chocolate. For this girl who makes up her own measurements, I need something more exact from the actual recipe. Needless to say I ended up with too much milk and not enough chocolate, so while it takes lovely it's still sitting in the fridge because it didn't cut into nice little chunky squares (see picture above).
too funny!
And with that I'll leave with a yummy image of Tim Tebow (Note* I have ALWAYS been a Denver fan)
Before I do my favorite link up with Fabulous but Evil, I'd like to let everyone know that Bran is coming tonight and I will get to see him for an entire month! We are finishing up this week here in Knoxville, then stoping by my house to drop off gifts and then down the mountain to Charlotte we will go! I am so excited, I think my holiday is finally beginning since I've pretty much just been at work (and with baby when not at work) =)
WIthout further ado, head over to Target Tuesdays so I can see all the grand stuff you want too!
So the theme for today is things that I would be on my registry. My friend Jess and I were chatting about registering and etiquette and it has me thinking what would I register for? (Obviously Target will be one of my places!) Ugh, we also talked about the website... but I don't wannnna design a website!
We need a book shelf between the chemistry books and all my juicy novels ;)
Bran doesn't drink coffee but I bet I could get him hooked with this bad boy ;)
This would make so many of our meals! It's a grill, panini press, AND a griddle!
Okay so I know nothing about vacuums (excpet that you can't give them for Valentine's day, Dad did that one year. Bad idea!) but this one isn't too expensive and it comes in a pinkish color!
Okay, so Pintrest typically happens on Wednesday but I'm finding myself pretty lost in the world of watching a 8 month child and reading a Jodi Picoult book so I'm going to take a cheat day. Or should I say post, I can't guarantee that I won't post again today.
Today is the last day of Neely and Amber's Holiday Blog Challenge. It's been an absolute blast and I'm so glad that I've gotten to follow new blogs and make some new bloggy friends!
It's also the last day that our Residence Hall building is open, which means next week it's just me and the little one I babysit for some extra holiday cash! This weekend I think I'm also going to try my hand at some margaritta cupcakes, and some hard core Christmas gift crafting so I'll be sure to keep you all updated. It will certaininly get quiet here quick. But on the good side I'll be going home soon AND Brandon will be here Tuesday night!
Day 10 { NYE Memories & Pictures}
I honestly can't remember ever doing too much. I'm not a crazy drinker or party-er (and Bran doesn't drink) so we aren't too crazy New Years Eve.
2008; Bran and I were in Flat Rock (my house) and my twin brothers were 14 and SO excited to do really big fireworks. (They do an anual 4th of July extravaganza, so they wanted NYE to be on par). We bought a batch from Wal-Mart and they realized at about 8pm that they were all boring ground sparkly things. So this big sister got in the Chevy Tracker and hit the first South Carolina illegal fireworks place on the side of the road and got the biggest best pack I could find. The three guys (Bran included) then set them off at midnight and then we went to bed.
2009; My family and Bran were in the Bahamas! We watched the twins dance the night away in the hotel lobby and saw fireworks. My first kiss of 2010 was on the beach and while we weren't doing anything spectacular, it was a lovely way to spend NYE.
2010; We actually went out last year!! We went with Bran's best friends family to a Charlotte basketball game and then to dinner in downtown Charlotte. We had originally all gotten a hotel room but decided to come back to Monroe(Bran being an always sober driver really helps in instances like this) ie Home. We drank bubbly at midnight and watched fireworks from the driveway.
I'm excited for 2011! I don't know what we will be doing, or where we will be doing it but I know that Bran will be with me as my first 2012 kiss!
I'm sitting here extremely bummed because I was intitally told that student fees in the spring were less than the fall, and it's looking like that is false. And of course I start to get that bahumbug feeling, and the feeling that I'll never have a big girl job, and well basically being irrational. So I am trying to take a step back, feel blessed that I'm lucky enough to be in school with a roof over my head, and know that Christmas will come and go even if I'm a few presents less than what I would like to give out to everyone I love.
Day 8 {Christmas Wish List} I skipped this day because I already had posted a list, as an addition to Day 1 of the Blog Challenge
Day 9 {New Year's Goals and Resolutions}
I decided to go back to my 101 in 1001 and pick some things that are accomplishable for this coming year. I am a little frustrated with my 101 list because not everything on there is exactly assessable or measurable. We shall see what all gets done, but when I've finished the 101 in 1001 (which will be July of 2013!!!)
Learn to Speak Thai- I am hoping for Rosetta stone for either Christmas or my Birthday so this one should be able to get done in 2012!
Take a baking class! I'm going to do it. I think this summer or sometime in the spring will be a great time.
Send even more snail mail. I think I have gotten GREAT at sending snail mail to Bran, my mom, and Triner but I know that others would appreciate getting mail as much as I do.
Brandon+West Virginia is happening in 2012. It's ridiculous that he hasn't been up there the entire time we've been dating and I try to go at least twice a year!
Hiking, I think I'd like to take up hiking. After all I live so close to the Blue Ridge and apparently there are amazing areas around here. Maybe I will learn to like nature. So I'll give it a shot...
Go water skiing or tubing this coming summer 2012. I think I'll probably like this more than hiking ;)
So I know those goals are very specific but that's because the rest of my ideal goals are similar to many of yours. {Live healthy, keep working out, love with all I have, do well in school, find a job I adore, keep planning the wedding of my dreams, and be thankful.}
Somehow my Monday's always get away from me. I don't even have a good excuse because as of last Thursday my classes are OVER! Fantastic, fabulous feeling doesn't even begin to sum it up. But here I am catching up again, so go link up with Amber and Neely and join in the last week of the Holiday Blog Challenge.
Day 6 {Holiday Recipe}
If nothing else, Sugar Cookies always mean the holidays are here to me. The years before my twin brothers were born and the first few after that, my Mom always hosted a party at our house. We would make TONS of dough and all my little friends and their moms would come over. We would eat more dough than we would make cookies, and by the second batch was out of the oven I'm sure the Moms were the ones frosting but boy did we have fun.
Here is a recipe I found on pintrest,and an awesome way to make simple candy canes.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint or almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Red food coloring
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for topping)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Then add the egg and extracts. Beat until smooth.
4. Add in salt and then stir in the flour, beating on low speed just until the flour is blended.
5. Divide the cookie dough in half. Take one half of the dough and knead red food coloring into it until the dough is tinted red.
6. To assemble each cookie: Take one rounded teaspoon of red dough & one rounded teaspoon of white dough and roll each into a ball.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 4-inch long rope. Place 1 red and 1 white rope side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the 2 ropes together lightly, twist them together, and then curve the top of the cookie down to form the handle of a candy cane.
8. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Immediately after taking them out of the oven, sprinkle the cookies with the granulated sugar. Cool slightly on the pan, and then remove them from the cookie sheet to cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Well we celebrate Christmas. I think we have posted something similar to this but we open a present the day before Christmas, and then take our time opening on Christmas morning. When we were young I think we could smell Christmas morning and were up and ready to open presents before the sun. We weren't allowed to open til at least 6am, and I learned how time worked one year when Dad said to wait until the first number was a 6. Of course I knew that the number 6 came after 5 but I learned that morning that a whole bunch of minutes happened before the first number would change from a 5 to a 6. Once it was 6am my parent's would wait in the living room and we would wait for the sign before we could run down the hall.
Christmas was amazing when we were younger, and while we've had some hard times the last few Winters all that matters is that the five of us are together.
{The NSYNC Christmas CD was my first CD, we've played it during Christmas morning ever since}
Amber and Neely brought to me Day 5 of the Holiday Challenge.
{Also as a side note, I paid 1.47 for a brand new tire, AND got an A on my final paper for my toughest class.}
Day 5 {Holiday Fashion}
I'm not the most fashionable person, but I am taking a cue from Mia Maree, a new friend I've made from North Carolina and spliting things up. On Christmas Eve we typically only see Brandon's moms side of the family and we all get together to open one gift.
Most of this stuff is from H&M and I'd really like to find one close to me here in Knoxville! Probably a little more classy than I will actually wear, but a girl can dream!
On Christmas Day we do the shuffle and this year I'll spend the morning with Bran and his Moms family, then we will rush over to see his Dad and Grandmother, and then head to the mountains to do Christmas with my family. The outfit will probably look similar to the one featured above, but know that for the morning half I will be in cute pjs.
All right, I won't be as cute as she is but something to that extent ;)
Last but not least will be New Years. The last two years we have gotten together with a few other couples, and last year we actually spent New Years in Charlotte. It was freezing but I think I looked sorta cute. My new professional job has gotten me a much more stylish (I think) wardrobe so maybe this year I'll look something like this. {Note, I wasn't 21 last New Years so we were slightly limited on what we did!}
Again from Victoria Secret... Maybe I should have asked for a gift card from there!
Happy Friday, have a great weekend and go link up for some fun.
Only 24 days left to buy everyone exactly what they want. I discovered putting pictures and such of things I'm longing for on my blog, results in great things. Everyone can pick what they want without me directly telling them what to do =)
Before I start the list, here is a holiday video I just love!
(All the items are linked up to the site, so everyone can get more info if one chooses so)
Toms- These look SO comfortable and I know I just keep mentioning them! Size 8 please. I like that pair linked, and I also like this pair here.
Monogram I-Phone Case- Okay so these are expensive but I would like a big B. I wouldn't mind my full monogram as long as whoever is buying knows that I will get a new case when it changes ;) Any from this website would do because I can't pick one!
Rain Coat- This jacket is on clearance from Target right now. I LOOOVE it in Purple, or Red, or even Yellow! Act quickly before it's gone. Size Medium please!
New Mac Battery and Charger- Dad said this would be his electronic gift but I wanted to put it up here either way. =) I have a 13 inch that was bought in 2007.
A Hand Mixer. Any color any brand will do, it has just been difficult to bake this semester without a mixer!
Denver Bronco Hoodie or Long Sleeve Shirt. I really like this charcoal shirt.
(A new Denver calendar would also be GREAT!)
Nike or Underarmor pants. I want them a little baggy but still athletic enough that I can run in them outside and such. I can't find the pair I loved in Dicks but Brandon should be able to pick them out ;) In line with baggy-er pants I'd love a new pair of Vicotria Secret pants. I've worn the heck out of the ones I have. Size medium. Those even have a pocket! (Just don't want a pair that folds over)
Gray Boots- Size 7.5! Here's a pair from Target that are 30.00
(You could get free shipping if you ordered these boots and the raincoat from Target...I'm just sayin' ;) )
Winter Jacket- I'm lovin' this one from Target. Red, yellow, brown. Any color in Medium
Black and White no show socks! I swear the laundry monster eats mine faster than I can buy em'.
Tupperware- I have nothing to put all the yummy food I attempt to cook into!
Spatulas, cooking utensils, A CAN OPENER! (I have to borrow the girl across the halls every-time I open a can)
Okay that's probably way more than any of you wanted to see but I am very thankful that I even get to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends so any gifts are just a bonus. Have a great Thursday, can't wait for the weekend to arrive!
Hey there! Again I need to do both days 3 & 4 for the Blog Challenge. Head on over to link up, I can't wait to see what everyone has to say today.
Day 3 {Holiday Decorations and Decor}
I don't have very much decor in my little apartment but I did enjoy decorating the house this past weekend with one of my brothers who is totally bit by the Christmas Bug. I can't wait for Bran and I to get married and have a Christmas together. I do have an ornament that we got in Disney when we got engaged, and I plan to have a Disney Ornament party to have a full on Disney Tree.
Day 4 {Favorite Holiday Movie}
So let me preface this one with the fact that I don't really watch movies. I can't seem to sit still for long enough and the things that people seem to think are hilarious, I don't find funny. It's a bit of a problem especially during the holidays but will tell you I loved Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (the 1964) version!
(I loved the girl deer)
I also remember watching lots of Christmas musical performances. And who doesn't love A Charlie Brown Christmas =)
Stay tuned for the Christmas List that everyone keeps asking for! Stay warm.
