Deck the Halls

Im off of work for a week and a half. Thats right...a week.and.a.half! What the heck am I going to do with myself? All I can say is this break is very well deserved. I have been working my ass off at work and burned myself out. But the last time I had this much time off was in college...but I still worked during break.

I do have a few plans, but nothing major. I want to work on my resolutions that need prepping. clean the Hell out of this cruddy apartment. And a day of catching up on scrapbooks with Lauren.

I am sure I will also be partaking in the viewing of too many marathons on tv. I want to avoid that at all costs though. We have been couch potatoes for too long. I feel like that is adding to my exhaustion.

Last night I decided to whip out some baking skills and try this extremely easy recipe from bakerella.com. Dont these cake balls look amazing?That is because I did not make them, Bakerella did. The recipe is so simple. All you need is a box of cake mix, a can of icing, and chocolate bark or candy melts.

The cake part is amazingly easy....follow directions, bake cake, crumble in bowl, mix frosting in with hands, roll into balls, coat.

And the coat step is where I failed. These ended up looking like big balls of glowing boogers.




Damn. I didnt have enough candy and I thought I would be festive and food color them green...red and green get it? It looks like something that you would find falling on someone's head on Nickelodeon. It was so hard to roll in the candy because they would get so soft. Matt swears they are good. I tried half of one and I think they are pretty sweet. I have to bring these to his family's house today. Ugh. I dont even want to hear what people are going to say. This is why we are going to also pick up a pie. This is almost as bad as the rainbow cake incident. I wish Bakerella would come to my house to show me what I did wrong.....and show me other recipes.

And on that gak covered, booger looking wannabe cake creation, I have to finish wrapping gifts before we leave for Matts sister's. I will let you know how the booger balls come out....ha booger balls. No one will eat them if that is what I call them.

Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you have a safe holiday!

Drama no no no no Drama

What is it about women that attract drama? Im saying because I am a woman and its my blog. Agree with me or not. Women attract drama.

Im not dealing with particular drama currently, but the thought occurred to me on my drive home from work today.

Why do we find such little things so important to blow out of proportion? Or turn into caddy people who find it necessary to single one person out and falsify information about them?

I cant say Im not guilty of this. Although it kinda gets annoying to hear and deal with. Who is sleep with whom. What he/she is doing to get ahead. How bitchy she is. What a bouchedag he is. Its really a waste of time.

Dont ask why that was on my mind.

1/2 a work day left for the year! This is a break that is well deserved. I have been quite stressed out at work. Trying to meet our numbers. Trying to make unhappy people happy (and there are many unhappy people). Hold the hands of others. Avoiding office drama. So it will be nice to have a week and a half away. Time to refresh.

Did I tell you i am going to Frankfurt in February? I am actually very excited. I am going for work and I know I will be very busy while I am there. The only worry I have......getting around. Everything can be so confusing. Heck when I was in DC I couldnt figure out the train system and that was in English.

*Slaps Forehead

If I had two words to describe last night, those would be the two and I dont have the pictures to show why.

Last night was our close friends engagement party. We started at this really cute restaurant for drinks and appetizers and then moved onto a nice bar. And that is where it went downhill. I didnt drink because I drove (that is my title). Our friend needs a few tips on how to pick up women. I have already explained to him barking at them is NOT the way to do it. Staring ups the creep factor too. Then mix both for a long peri0d of time and you have a bowl of creepy old man.

Needless to say we left to avoid something bad from happening. But it was a lot of fun and great to see everyone.

On the flip side, this weekend was very productive. I had Friday off of work so the weekend started Thursday. Lately Matt has been very stressed out since he took the LSAT. He wont get his scores for a few more weeks and he has started second guessing himself. Wednesday he barely talked to me because he was stressed. So I got off work Thursday and got him out of the house. We went to the mall then to dinner. Our friend from above came over and they played video games all night.

Friday we tried the mall again for gifts (fail both times) and I baked cookies. We went out for dinner again (bad bad bad) and then hung out here.

And yesterday I finished all my Christmas shopping. And in turn Im broke. Damn.

At least there is only 2.5 work days left in the year. YES!

This Week

News news news. That is all I have for you. But I have to wait until things are finalized to share. Sad I know.

So until then....here is my catch up

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

This is a tough one. I cant really think of anything that wowed me.

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
I cant stand tea. Gag!

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."
2009 was a whirlwind. So many changes with work and my life outside. Hopefully all these changes are for the good.

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
! On crap. I dont have clothes that are in shape. My shoes are garbage. But I had to buy craft stuff. Makes sense I guess. (no not at all) Next year my purchases will be monitored by a budget.

Laziness begin

I feel so lazy. I have a feeling it has to do with the weather. I didnt work out (there is still time, but we all know what Im going to do)

Work is draining me. Im such a pile of mush when I get home. I hate the winter.

December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.
Edamame! Where has it been my whole life? Not only is it good, but good for you and easy to make.

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
This April Matt and I moved in together. Ive lived with other people, but this is different of course. It has been great. I hope he thinks the same. I sometimes think I am a little too boring....but I know when you get to a certain point it gets "comfortable"

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Is it sad that I cannot remember a time when I did? Is my life that boring? sigh

I am currently working on my new years resolution list right now and I thought it would be a good idea to look over the list I made for this year.

• Learn German (I want to be nearly fluent by June...but I know that isnt realistic. By the end of the year at least) *nope...not at all. I found out I will not be going to Germany so I decided I wasnt motivated enough
  
• Buy a car....poor car, starting to show her age * Yes I did
  
• Catch up on my scrapbook...maybe get ahead. Sounds ambitious. Maybe plan the weekend Lauren and I talked about. *well I did finish one scrapbook, but Im very much behind. I still have pictures from last October until today to scrap. Lauren...lets make our date a mission to catch up (and why cant we find anything like this? you know it would be so much fun!)
  
• Sky Dive....i was supposed to do it last year, but I moved out instead. This year is a big year....jumping into 25! *almost....but i knew this wouldnt be realistic especially since its so expensive
  
• Drop at least one size. Maybe by May for my cruise *I did drop a size!! Now Im floating in between that and the one above. I need to get back in shape.
  
• Be more crafty *Yes. I have to say I have been full of projects this year
  
• Save more *I did really well until we moved. I have not put much or any money into savings more
  
• Be more strict on the budget smackdown * FAIL
  
• Work on photography *I have taken a lot of pictures this year, but nothing crazy
  
• Go to the gym at least 3 days a week....so far so good *I have definitely done a lot of working out.
  

Not bad. I have to say, not only were those done but much more. Running a half marathon for instance.

Is anyone else working on their resolutions? What are yours going to be? Once I am done with my list I will share with you.

Glitter and Sparkle

That is how my Christmas tree and every other decoration is in this place. There is something about glitter that mesmerizes me.

*warning: Lots of pictures

Since I have to be cheap this year in order to afford everyone's gifts (which in theory I cant) I have been making my own decorations. I have only made about 3 so far and not sure how many more I want to make.

The first decoration was the wreaths on the french doors.All that was needed was the small wreaths ($2.50 at Target) and your decoration of choice. I chose ornaments. The box was $5 at Target. And I already had the santa ribbon. Bud Light optional.
Then there is the tree. He is real. Matts first real tree. I like it because its not as proportional as a fake. It really doesnt have traditional colors. More pinks, teals, and glitter. im obsessed. The lights are multi colored and then there is a strand of white twinkle lights. So there is a little motion.


There is now a stocking for the kitties. I embroidered the cheap ones at Target ($.99). Then today I made an ornament and I love it. I got the idea from Elsie Marley. The half eaten gingerbread man. I saw him in passing and fell in love!

D'oh! He was really easy to make. You will find the directions on her website.

And finally.....I have to participate in the office potluck tomorrow. I was pretty poopy today when I got ready to make everything because we also have to participate in white elephant and I dont have the money to buy a gift for that. Thank you dollar spot at Target.

What I made was Veggie Pizza (recipe thanks to Matt's mom).

The ingredients you need:

• 2 rolls of crescent rolls
• 2 packs of cream cheese (softened)
• Veggies (any kind) I used broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, sprouts, carrots, tomatoes
  
• 1/2 cup of mayo
• shredded cheese
• dill weed and other various spices that tickles your fancy
  

First roll out the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet. It doesnt have to look perfect. Then bake for 12-15 minutes at 350. Just when they start to brown.
Next is the cream cheese. For this all you need to do is mix the mayo and spices with the cream cheese. I love dill in cheese based anything because it makes the mix so much fresher, but put whatever you like.

Then chop until you cant. You need to make the pieces pretty small so you can have a little of everything in each bite. Also, veggies with seeds....get rid of them. Just a mess if you dont.
Spread your cream cheese on the cooked dough.
Top with all your veggies and sprinkle your shredded cheese over the top. Cut and enjoy. I promise you will like this. It makes for a great meal or even appetizers.

We will see how this goes over tomorrow. I know its Matt's favorite. That is why I made that little one.

I probably should have spread this post out through the whole week, but if this week is anything like the last two, you wont get much out of me. I will be a pile of mush. But I do have Friday off and will be making cookies with my gma and sister.

Happy Friday to You.

What a week. I have never been so busy in my life. I have also never had a headache everyday of the week. Friday is welcomed with open arms.

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

A cubicle? Really? Who answers that?

My place would be at home.

Have a wonderful weekend. I have to spend more money on Christmas. F