Chritmas Decor.

It might be a little later that I hoped- but there are still 3 days left!  I've done my best to spruce up the house with a little holiday cheer.

Watch out, Rudolph.

Our first REAL tree!

Leftover wedding decor turned holiday decor.

Merry Christmas!

-m

p.s.  Anyone know how to access your Instagram account NOT on your phone? These pictures came from my old phone, and I had to go round about getting them on the blog #bad photos.

Birchbox: December.

I've read a lot of blogs that subscribe to Birchbox.  Basically, you sign up to recieve a $10 box of 5 high-end beauty samples (customized for you) once a month.  I was so freaking excited when that pink box came in the mail!  The anticipation is half the fun.

 The box came with this information sheet explaining each product.  

I haven't had a chance to try each one out yet, but I will let you know if I decide to get a full-size of anything.  I love to be able to try something new, without committing to the full-size version first.  My box this month included:

1. "Twirl" by Kate Spade Perfume.

2. Hydronic Face Glow by By Terry.

3. Jouer Lip Gloss in Pink

4. Incocco Nail Appliques

5. Recharge EBoost Energy Drink Mix.

-m

12.17.11- Celebrating One Year.

On Friday morning, J let me know that, well... maybe he did have a little something up his sleeve.  He told me to be ready to leave on Saturday morning at 11:30, to dress nice, and to bring a change of clothes.  I love a good surprise :) 

First stop, the Kansas City Ballet's "Nutcracker".  Growing up dancing, I adore this holiday show.  J, on the other hand, had never seen it. (BTW, he thought they would talk....)  It was such a beautiful performance- definitely put me in the holiday spirit!

 The ballet was at the new Kauffman Center, which was a perfect auditorium for this show.  Loved it!

 We came back to our hotel downtown surrounded by the holiday lights.  Did I mention, I'm spoiled?

Not the most flattering picutre of our chef, but the food was to. die. for.  YUM!

 After dinner we drove around to look at the lights.  I love this time of year, and I love spending it with my family.  Thanks for the best year a wife could dream of-- love you, J!

-m

Snow Globes.

So you have probably seen this craft floating around on Pinterest, and I decided to give it a try.  I thought it might be neat to start a snow-globe anniversary tradition.  I can just imagine looking back at 15, 20, even 50 years of snow globes, each with a little something from that year of our marriage.  We'll see how that goes :)

I looked high and low for a house ornament.  You would have thought that would have been easy to find.  I wasn't even being picky- a ginderbread house would have worked! I found pizzas, pigs, tutus, ... and no house.  So I improvised.  That's a wooden #1 I painted red (for 1st annivesary), the 3 trees I found in the Hob Lob craft section, and for some height, I added the silver ornament.  The silver key replaced the house-- biggest event of our first year, our first house!

Dumped a bunch of glitter in the jar.  Sparkles!

The clock is the modern first anniversary gift.  I just used hot glue to put it all together.  Let's hope it stays together-- for like ever.

 

I read on one blog (sorry, don't remmeber where!) that you could use baby oil to help the glitter "float" like snow.  This is what happened with the baby oil-- not snow--more like Gak.  (Remember Gak??!)

I opted for just water and glitter.  I tied a tag to the jar with a little recap of our year.  Happy Anniversary!

Enjoy!
-m

One year.

One year ago today, I married the love of my life.  Best year yet!

-m

Homeade Butterfingers.

I stumbled across this recipe where I find most of my inspiration: pinterest. With just 3 ingredients, I knew I couldn't go wrong.  Although the recipe called for individually dipped "bars", I opted for the lazy-man's version.  If you're seeking a healthly snack... stop reading here. :)

Ingredients:
1 bag candy corn
1 jar peanut butter
1 bag chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Microwave the candy corn in 30 second intervals until melted.
2. Add peanut butter.
3. Spread on pan and top with melted chocolate.
4. Optional: Sprinkle with some sea salt.
5. NOT Optional: Eat while warm.

Enjoy!
-m

Photo Fun.

Did you know you could change your focus settings on Instagram?!  This was an exciting new-found feature for me... Since I hardly ever pick up any other camera, this app is my new BFF.

That's a photo I snapped of my hub's homework.  He's a smarty pants.
-m

Pillow Talk.

I've been having lots of fun reworking our living room this past weekend!  With our old couches out the door, and our inherted new furniture, I've had a burst of energy to create something new with this room.  Not that it looked bad, I just didn't really feel like it was right... let's hope I do after this :)  I've decided to paint the room a taupe/gray, and am thinking of adding some pillows to spice it up.  Here are some I've been drooling over as inspiration.

West Elm. 

West Elm. 

West Elm.

West Elm. 

West Elm.

Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel.

Enjoy!
-m

11 goals in 11 weeks- 2011.

Some people make resolutions at the beginning of the year.  I've never been very good at that.  This year, I've decided to make some resolutions to round out 2011.  Turns out there are only 11 weeks left of this year! Crazy how time flies.  Here's to bringing on 2012 with a few things already checked off the list :)

via

1. Update the bliggity blog.
2. I've got to do something about the laundry situation.  Must. Put. Laundry. Away....Weekly, that's my goal.
3. Trip to San Antonio:
  --take photos!!! (i'm so bad about that...)
  --visit a winery
  --eat authentic mexican food
  --and VERY important, a must-have trip to Pottery Barn Outlet.  Yeah, it does exsist.
4. Living Room Renovation:
  --New (to me) couch and chairs.
  --Fresh coat of paint on the walls.
  --Painting for the wall (DIY)
5. Run 6 miles without stoppin'.  I've maintained running (sort of), but it's time to kick it up a notch.  The longest I've run (ran?) is 5 miles.  Let's go for 6.  Thanks for the inspiration, domesticwannabe!
6. Do some cooking! Make dinner once a week.  Then, maybe I'd have more to blog about also- double whammy. (I guess I must confess that my husband does most of the cooking 'round here)... he's my BFF.
7. Have Xmas gifts for family BEFORE my winter break starts.  Wrapped and all- like this.
8. Make Christmas gifts for my school peeps.
9. Volunteer and serve Thanksgiving Dinner.
10. Map DIY for the bedroom.
11.  Have my students help do some random acts of kindness. This post has changed me.  I MUST do something like this.  And, I think 8th graders would be happy to help.  Now, ideas pleeeease? This is what I've got so far:
 --Help serve lunch
 --Help make lunch
 --Decorate the office for the secretaries
 --Write thank you cards for other teachers/staff/students
 --Shovel snow???
 --Hand out cookies/pencils/high-fives! to another lunch

I Heart Fall.

I could live with weather like this for the whole year.  Ok, I do like the seasons, but Fall is definitely my favorite.  Windows open, crisp and cool mornings, and pumpkins.  Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pudding-- I may or may not have had at least one of each already this October.

I was on a mission to find the green pumpkins I had seen on pinterest.  Mission complete.  Thanks to the mall parking lot, I found me the perfectly pimple-y pumpkin and one nice soft green one to go with it.  Here they are on their ride home.

It looks more gray in this picture... I'll have to try again soon.

-m

Fail.

So... there's no hiding it. 

I've taken a hiatus :) I wish I had a good excuse, but really, I just haven't had much to say.

I did take a road trip to Colorado for a family wedding.  It really was as beautiful as this picture makes it seem, but you could also smell and feel the beauty.  

You'll forgive me for being a slacker, right? ..... I made pie!

I made these for a girls night last weekend.  So. Easy.  I bought pie filling and pie crusts, then cut them up and baked them in a muffin pan so they'd be the perfect size for one. Yum.

Enjoy!
-m

Proud.

Today I'm taking a moment to remember.  Today I'm proud of my country, my neighbors, friends and government.  My heart and prayers are with all of those families who have lost someone ten years ago.

via

After such great tragedy, I honor the strength of my fellow Americans.
-m

Trader Joes.

I've become one of "them".  One of those people who's always talking about how AWESOME Trader Joe's is!! Too bad I live over an hour away from one... I visited once, and thought it was okay.  We tried a few things, most were good, so we went back.  I bought some more new things (okay, and lots of 2 buck Chuck... holla!!!), and now I must go often because I've found so many unique and tasty foods!  Here are some of my favs...

(all photos found via Google Images)

Cilantro and Jalapeno Hummus.  Perfect after school snack.

Roasted Begetable Couscous. Perfect lunch- but beware, its SPICY!

Tomato Basil Marinara.  Classic, yummy and cheap. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage.  Great with pasta and the marinara above.

Dark Chocolate Powerberries.  Perfect blend of fruit and chocolate.

Dark Chocolate covered Espresso Beans.  Perfect for after luch :)

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels. Need I say more?

Champagne Pear Vinagrette. At 45 calories a serving, this is delish! Reminds of of Panera's Fuji Apple Dressing

Reduced Fat Cilantro Salad Dressing.  Different, but tasty.

What products have you tried that you can't get enough of?
Hope you're enjoy TJ as much as I am!
-m

Breakfast to go.

In my attempt to be organized, I like to plan out what I'm going to pack in my breakfast/lunches over the weekend, that way all I have to do is grab and go in the morning.  I haven't gotten back into this kick this year until this week.  I usually pack the same thing each day (I'm a routine kinda person) :) so it's easy to plan a whole week.  I find that it's generally cheaper that way, too.

I came across the idea of a Breakfast Quiche a while back, and decided this would be a great way to grab and go, and still be healthy!  It was SUPER easy to make.

Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients:
2 containers Egg Beaters (equivalent to 14 eggs)
1 package frozen Spinach
1 pepper, diced
1 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
Dash of Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Microwave the spinach until thaw.  Stir in eggs, veggies and cheese.  Pour into Pam-sprayed muffin tin and bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees.

I made a second batch of these for J using real eggs, adding bacon and more cheese. For his I used the jumbo muffin tray.  I think they would be yummy with mushrooms, garlic, and salsa, too.

They are great to freeze, microwave and grab for the car to work.
Enjoy!
-m