A blog makeover + a Christmas wrap-up

First, did you notice my blog is way cuter now?  My fabulous friend Natalie (no link - private blog) helped me change the layout and I love it!  I know it doesn't read well on any i-type devices (not sure why?) but it works great every other way.  Check it out!  I'll update it again after V-day is over but I fell in love with this cute layout and had to use it.  Natalie is so amazing. She's in my ward (well, was - she just moved) but I think we really got to know each other through our blogs.  She is also the most consistent commenter ever.  Love that and love her!

Okay, secondly, yes, it's January 12 but because I'm trying to be a better blogger and because my blog is for, well, me, I decided to post some of my favorite pics from all of my Christmas celebrations.  It really was a perfectly lovely holiday...fun, relaxing and relatively stress-free.

DeAnne, Michelle and Donna - friends for 22+ years! Flash was off the camera, thus it's fuzzy. Sigh.

My mom wrapped my family gifts for me! She rocks!

Dinner at the Robinson's before Christmas - the Grinch surprised us!

My niece Chelsea and her boyfriend Luke

My brother Rick and his girlfriend Jacque

Photo-bomb extraordinaires Makenna and Natalie

Nephew Kevin, Niece Randi and sister Jaylene

My  nephew Carsen aka Fluff

Ben in his new Christmas clothes

Adorable Cindy in her Christmas garb

The whole family

Hallelujah Chorus

I've been hearing that song in my head ever since Sunday when Kim and I went to the singalong (I did horrible on the 'amens' in "Worthy is the Lamb" though...next year, I'll practice a little beforehand.)

ANYWAY, I am enjoying the holiday season for so many reasons...here are a few:

• First and foremost, I finally got around to mailing three packages yesterday and there was NO line at the post office. It was an amazing moment in my life. (Jill, Jasmine & Callie, you may now begin stalking the mailman.)
• Treatfest 2009 has begun. Tricia and I had our annual baking day this week and made such yummy treats like caramel chex mix, chinese noodle cookies, peppermint meltaways, toffee, oreo truffles using the peppermint joe joe's from TJ's and chocolate almond kiss macaroons (see last year's post for pics of most of this stuff.) Two containers delivered, three more to go. I'm doing more baking this weekend for our family Christmas party on Sunday. I love, love, love to bake.
• My mom is going to wrap my gifts for me! She loves to wrap and I love to let her.
• I'm feeling no shopping stress. This year, I've let go of buying for the people I think I should buy for and instead I'm giving gifts only to those I want to buy for. And you know what? It's okay.
• Got a haircut last night -- I'm cute.
• Earlier this month, I got an unexpected cash bonus at work. It was recognition for the special assignment I've been working on since April and I earned every single penny (and, well, more but I'll take what I can get.) Anyway, I treated myself to the "precious." Yes, I bought the Kitchenaid anniversary mixer! It arrived Wednesday night but I have yet to open the box...hopefully tomorrow.
• Our office closes Christmas Eve through New Year's Day so that means 11 days of getting up when I want and going to bed when I want. I'm planning to watch movies, finish a couple of books, do a jigsaw puzzle, play games with my friends but also do a whole lot of nothing. We need a whole lot of nothing once in awhile, don't we?

Seasonal Likes & Dislikes

Like: Christmas music on the radio. I wish it started earlier than the week of Thanksgiving.

Dislike: Dry skin. I hate it. Why does the skin around my eyes get so grossly dry?

Like: Cold and sunny days. I know it's not Utah-cold but pretty dang cold for us (13 degrees when I got to work this AM.) It's beautiful though and the sunsets are breathtaking. I talked to someone in our California office and she was telling me how cold it was there...her exact words were "it's freezing here - it might get to 60 today." PUH-LEAZE!

Dislike: Static electricity in my hair, clothes and furniture. Strongly dislike.

Like: Great sales. It almost makes me sad I'm done with my shopping. Almost.

Dislike: TV shows going into reruns. While I love that we've had new TV pretty much all fall, I hate that it's over after this week. And speaking of, wasn't Glee just fabulous last night? I can't believe we have to wait until April for new episodes though. And Top Chef? Such a good season even though I wanted Kevin to win.

Like: Christmas decorations as far as the eye can see. I love my new tree, I love the snowflakes and toy soldiers that decorate downtown Bellevue and the cool Christmas ornament stars on the light poles by the Southcenter Panera.

And one last like: peppermint. Candles, candies, cookies, hot cocoa...yum!

I'm no longer dreaming of a White Christmas

It snowed most of the day on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. I can't believe we had an actual white Christmas. Here I am at my mom's house on Christmas Day.


It's beautiful but driving is a mess and now it's raining/sleeting. I'll be glad when I can pull into my parking lot without worrying about whether or not I'll get stuck.

Christmas was relaxing and fun. After the presents, we ate leftovers from our Christmas Eve family party, watched movies and I did a puzzle. Here are pics of me and a few of my favorite presents. My dear friend Kim got me this WAY cute Brighton purse. I can hardly wait for spring/summer to use it!

My sister gave me the gift card to CPK and my mom got me the new Guitar Hero. My cute niece Makenna had to slide into every picture she could (and she's the girl who used to only let her mom photograph her.)

Callie gave me this super fun game. It's kind of like Monopoly and Settlers of Catan all rolled up into one. Plus it's based in the Washington farmlands. I mean, how can you go wrong with that??? I want to play it again now.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

I used to love my Christmas tree.

Most years, I adore my Christmas tree. I bought it 3 or 4 years ago from Fred Meyer, on sale. It's a pre-lit artificial tree and a slimline style which is completely perfect for my tiny living room. I love a fake tree because I don't own a truck to haul home a live tree and I don't have a garage to let it dry out in. I love that it's pre lit because hanging lights is one of my least favorite things in life. I also love the fact that my fake tree does not have spiders on it nor does it fall over in the night because it's too big for its stand.

There are some things I don't like about a fake tree: the lack of tree smell, the fact that you can see metal where wood should be, and it's not a Noble Fir (my personal favorite tree.) I have an addition to that list this year. I hate the fact that an entire row of lights will not stay lit.

I have been working on this tree for the past 5 hours, on and off. I've taken it apart and put it back together again, plugging and unplugging everything. My arms are completely scratched up (one more thing I hate about fake trees -- they're scratchy and I will likely have more horrible scars on my arms because of today.) I've shed more than a few tears of utter frustration and that same stupid section is still unlit.

What this all means is I'm giving up and I'm going to start hanging my lovely ornaments on a tree that's not fully lit. Oh and I'm buying a new tree next year.

Will you all do me a favor? Please go give your fully lit tree a hug. Let it know how much you love it because like Joni Mitchell, Amy Grant and many others have sang, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

p.s. Oh and my computer is still broken. Hug your working computers too after you get done hugging your tree. Thank you.

Things I Love About Christmas

After yesterday's negative post, I thought it best I counteract with a post full of positives. Besides the obvious (celebrating our Savior), here are some things I love about the Christmas season:

1. Singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" at church. It has the most fun alto part ever (well, it's right up there with "Let Us All Press On" but it's pretty good!)
2. Christmas pajamas from Wal Mart! I hope you are all buying yourself a pair because they are only $10 and they are so cute. I've bought a different pair the last three years. This year I got these darling pink ones. They are cotton and comfy and I wear them well into spring, usually. The picture up above is from two Christmases ago when we got coordinating pajamas for my mom, sisters and me. So fun!
3. Christmas candles! I used to sell Salt City Candles and I love digging my candles out. My favorite holiday scents are Christmas Trimmings (which is great to burn if you have a fake tree -- it's tree-like but not TOO much) and Victorian Christmas (which is sweet and spicy and just yummy) but my most favorite thing to do is burn a Candy Cane candle while burning an Evergreen candle. It's the BEST combination.
4. Fun ads in the paper every week! I love seeing what's on sale.
5. BAKING! I love looking for the best recipes for fudge or snowball cookies every year. (And if you have the perfect fudge recipe, please share! I'm really still looking!) This is also the time of year for Caramel Chex Mix. I'll add the recipe at the end of this list. I think that might be what I make for the girls at work this year. It's so good and very festive with holiday M&Ms.
6. Christmas movies!!! I have three favorites: Elf, The Year Without a Santa Claus and then my number one most favorite is White Christmas. That is the movie I watch while wrapping my presents. I can't wrap a gift without it on in the background.
7. Time off from work! We get the 24th through the 1st off -- paid! Wahoo!

What do YOU love about the Christmas season?

Caramel Chex Mix

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Karo syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 cups rice chex cereal
4 cups corn chex cereal
1 cup peanuts or mixed nuts
1 cup M&Ms (holiday - add as many as you want, really)

Mix cereal and nuts in a large bowl, set aside. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. In medium saucepan, combine butter, karo syrup and brown sugar. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda, then stir. Pour over cereal mixture & mix together then pour onto cookie sheet. Cook for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to break apart clumps. When cool, add M&Ms.