5 Favorite Posts

I've seen this going around blogland and I'm a badwagoner (yea, that's not a word, oh well) so without further ado (did you know that's actually the correct way to spell ado in this usage? Blew my mind when I found out), here are my 5 favorite posts of 2013:

Five. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. Yea, sorry, I sing Halloween songs inappropriately and I want to wear impossible costumes.

Four. Kenny Angel. I bet your Christmas Angel doesn't have a Ken head nor wear a baseball hat.

Three. It's Okay, It's Just a Fart. Yea, I thought a fart was a bomb, which one of you hasn't thought that before?

Two. Ethan Allen, Can I Get a Discount? No seriously, we're related and my Grandmom wants a discount on some furniture.

One. But the Worst Thing I Ever Done... Pretty much a countdown of my most embarrassing moments, except for the time my rape alarm went off at McDonalds.

This was hard to do and I left out so many other posts I really like, but I just realized that most of my favorite posts are funny childhood stories... haha oh well, I've got lots of em!

I Miss Christmas

Umm seriously Monday? Why are you almost here? You know how at the end of A Christmas Story the parents sit on the couch and recap the day as the snow is falling and the tree is lit.. My Mom loves that part, but I always think it's so sad because wahhh, Christmas is over!

Thank goodness Tuesday is New Years Eve though! I am finally getting around to posting about my Christmas today (my life has been CRAZY!), so here's my Christmas in pictures: 

Clockwise from top left:

1- Our little family picture! I love this pic of us :-)

2- Santa came!! 

3- Aww our 4 doxies in their Christmas outfits!

4- Brian and Hansel!

5-Christmas Eve mimosa (we had them on Christmas too, I just love mimosas!)

Clockwise from top left:

1- My cute new shoes!

2- Christmas wore these sleepyheads out!

3- Like my present earrings?

4- We got sooo much candy in our stockings, I love it!

5- My adorable new Christmas dishes

Clockwise from top left:

1- Our snowman place settings!

2- I got some new Pandora charms and the Fitbit Flex!

3- Hansel!

4- Cute new snowman Scentsy

5- My Christmas outfit, with new maroon corduroy leggings from Lands End (SO comfy!), new tassel necklace and new dachshund ring (these may be two of my favorite pieces of jewelry ever!)

I hope everyone else had a great Christmas! P.S. Don't you just love my new design by Kelli?! 

Celebrate!!

So obviously I have some big changes around here! I am IN LOVE with my new blog design from Kelli. Didn't she do such an awesome job? Seriously, I cannot stop looking at my own blog! Thanks again so much Kelli!!

The changes around here aren't only in my design though. I'm going to start posting at night. I know, I know, it's not a big change, but I figured I'd let ya know. I already write my posts the night (or weekend) before I post them, but it is just going to be way easier than rushing to get them posted before work every morning. 

Lastly, I have mentioned it before, but it starts very soon (as soon as Amazon payments deposits into my account so I can finish setting up Adproval)... I am now taking sponsors! Head over to my sponsor page in a few days to get more deets, but the gist is this: get your top spot (with guest post!) for $5, your big spots for $3, and your swaps fo' free. 

Whew! Felt good to get all that off my chest haha. Thanks for reading, for being awesome and reading my ramblings, guys :-)  

Holiday Swap Reveal Post!

So I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. It reaaaallyy sucks that it is over. I always get so bummed after Christmas because it was such a big build up to an awesome day then BAM! Back to work and life and reality. Boo! I am too overwhelmed right now to post all about my holiday, so I will recap it on Monday. 

Anyways, I just love getting packages in the mail, especially this time of year, so when I saw that Janna was hosting a Holiday Swap I had to participate! I got partnered up with Megan and she's awesome! Check out her blog to see what I got for her. Alright, here's what you're all waiting for, what Megan got for me: 

1- The cutest little tin with mint hot chocolate inside, yum! I already had some :-)
2- Essie Fishnet Stockings Nail Polish. So pretty and Essie rocks!
3- Burt's Bees hand salves, hand cream, foot cream, cuticle cream, and pretty colored lip balm. I used like half of this stuff right away, it is amazing!

Thanks so much Megan, I seriously love everything! Have a great weekend everyone! Linking up with Whitney and Janna (I'm still listening to Christmas music and I'm not ashamed so there). P.S. I'm part of an awesome giveaway over at Helene in Between so check it out! 

Who Wants Toilet Paper for Christmas?

Like I've mentioned before, this time of year is crazy in my family with trying to buy Christmas presents plus 4 people's birthday presents. So when I was like 13 years old I came with the idea to do Secret Santa between the then 5 (now 6) kids in our family. This way we didn't each have to buy a present for each of our siblings, which proved to be expensive and time-consuming. 

Nowadays Secret Santa runs pretty smoothly between the siblings; we draw names Thanksgiving weekend and exchange our gifts Christmas Eve like clockwork. But back in the day, the year we first started this tradition, things were not so great.

Well, I guess for the other kids things were awesome, but not for me. I was all excited because I drew Taylor's name (an easy one, since she was only 3 years old). When it was my turn to give Taylor her gift, I gave her these cute little Care Bear slippers and waited anxiously for my Secret Santa to give me my present. 8 year old Savanna hands me my gift, and I rip it open excitedly. I pull out... a roll of toilet paper, smeared with chocolate (get it?.. yea). 

Savanna and the other kids start giggling, thinking this is the funniest thing ever. I was not amused, whined, "Mooooooom!" then Savanna says "Just kidding!" and hands me another box with my real present. I open it with relief.. until I pull out a bag of Lifesavers Wintergreen Mints.

Yup. Lifesavers mints. Thanks a lot, Savanna. Secret Santa is now regulated by Mom, so no comic book reading funny business. Merry Christmas everyone! Here's hoping you don't get toilet paper or mints :-)

The Zombie, The Fainter, and The Traditionalist

On Christmas morning in our house, there are three types of people for whom you've got to be on the lookout:

I bet a lot of you run into the Zombie on Christmas morning. The Zombie stumbles out of his bedroom after being called several times to come open presents at 8am, speaks primarily in grunts, and eventually retreats back to his bedroom. 

The Fainter is much less common than the ubiquitous Zombie. The Fainter gets so excited about her presents that she passes out. No worries, she gets up and is ready for her next present, only to faint again. 

You actually need to be on the lookout for this one throughout the Christmas season. Okay probably throughout the whole year. This one insists that each year be exactly the same as the year before, right down to the meal, the time presents are opened, what day names are drawn for Secret Santa, how the stockings are hung, and the placement of the tree and the ornaments and the people. 

Have a great weekend everyone! Linking up with Whitney! (Kelli and Lauren, this song is for you! haha)

All I Want For Christmas..

..is my two front teeth. Okay, no, but how awesome was it to sing that song when you were actually missing your two front teeth? Thankfully I have all of my teeth, and these things are just wants, not needs, and I'd be happy to have any of them:

One. These slipper socks. My feet are always freezing and these would keep my feet so toasty!

Two. This flannel nightshirt, also from Lands End. Ahh it looks so comfy and warm!

Three. A Lilly Pulitzer agenda. I need this! 

Four. This DIY Gel Manicure Kit. It will be so much cheaper than getting my nails done at the salon, plus faster! 

Five. Christmas Pandora Charms. Especially these two, ahh so cute!

Six. A Calorie/Fitness Tracker. This one even has a silent vibrating alarm clock and allows you to set goals, as well as wirelessly syncs with the app on your phone. 

Wow my list probably resembles that of an 80-year old woman. What do you want for Christmas? 

Happy Birthday Mom!

We've finally reached the end of my family's "birthday season." Today is my Mom's birthday! My Mom is my shopping partner, confidant, and best friend! I am super lucky to have her. She reads my blog, so make sure you leave her some birthday love! Happy Birthday Mom!! Love you! 

Recipes: Cranberry Bars and Egg Nog

After popular demand, I am going to share with you our homemade egg nog recipe. Also, if you need something to take to a holiday party this weekend, make these cranberry bars. I found the recipe online last year and everyone I've made them for has loved them too! 

Cranberry Bars

Go here for the original recipe. I always make a bunch of changes to recipes though because that's how I roll, so here is how I make these (for example, I don't do "garnish"): 

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 C sugar
1 C flour
1/3 C melted butter/margarine
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg 
1/3 C white chocolate chips
1.25 C fresh cranberries
++++++++++++++++++
Half a block cream cheese
2 tsp softened butter
approx. 1.5-2 cups (more or less depending on desired consistency) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs well, then add in sugar and stir well. Add the flour, melted butter, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg, stir, then add the cranberries and chocolate chips. Spread into a greased, 8x8 baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes (the original recipe said use ginger but I don't like that, and it also said to bake for longer, but when I do that mine burn and stick to the pan, no bueno). Just keep checking to make sure they don't burn, but also make sure they are done by sticking a fork in it and seeing if it's clean when you take it out. 

Don't accidentally move the fork while you're checking to see if it's done or you'll end up with a crater in the middle like me

When it's cooled down, mix together all the rest of the ingredients (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla) and spread it on top of the bars. The original recipe calls for only 1.5 C of powdered sugar, but just use whatever amount gives you the consistency you want. 

Cut into bars immediately and store in an airtight container. Or, eat them all. Enjoy!

Yea I'm not the best bar cutter but these were getting stuck to the pan because Pam sucks.. I prefer the Crisco spray!

Egg Nog Recipe

Ingredients:

6 eggs separated
1/2 C sugar
2 C heavy whipping cream
1 C milk
1/2 C bourbon
1/2 C brandy
1/2 C light rum
1 tsp vanilla
Nutmeg

Directions:

Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick, then slowly add the cream, milk, alcohol, and vanilla. Chill. Whip egg yolks until soft peaks form then add to the mixture. Chill and let sit for several hours (we actually refrigerate it for several days before we drink it because then the alcohol taste isn't so strong and it just generally tastes better). Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

*We always double this recipe; the picture below is how much it made when doubled (it's a big container). Also, this year we actually cut back a little on the alcohol, so feel free to do that if you don't want it as strong (because it definitely is strong). 

Enjoy!! 

Follicles and BarceloMa

Guys, did you even know that Christmas is NEXT WEEK!! I am sooo excited, obviously.

But boo, it's Monday, which means any and all Christmas festivities must wait until next weekend, or at least until after work. I had a pretty good weekend, so you know what time it is... It's Weekend Recap Time!! (did the exclamation points make it more exciting?... yea, didn't think so. Sorry). My pictures are pretty random and out of order, sorry 'bout that, too.

Clockwise from top left:

1- Hansel and Schnitzel love Brian so much, they just don't always make it easy to use the computer.

2- My family's dog Snickers snuggling me while we were playing Catch Phrase.

3- Again with the dogs.. Hansel on Brian's lap and my family's dog Snoopy trying to get in the pic in the bottom corner.

4- Saturday night during the snow we went over to my parents' house and got into a crazy game of Catch Phrase. Some of the funniest guesses included: "follicles" for hair brush, and "BarceloMa (yes, with an "M") and "Pierre" for London.. whoops!

5- My diet brunch at Perkins. Definitely didn't finish it all so that makes it healthy, right?

Clockwise from top left:

1- I don't mind snow as much on the weekend, it's always so pretty.

2- Homemade Egg Nog!! So yummy

3- Brian pretending he's watching White Christmas but actually watching hockey on his laptop.

4- Hansel being cute.

5- More snow. 

Hope you had a great weekend and hope your Monday passes by quickly and painlessly!