post-christmas recap and roll

christmas was a great day from sun-up to sun-down. this year we didn't make it to presents until 9 am, which in and of itself is a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. we must be growing up because i can't remember ever sleeping past 7 in previous years.

good news. santa came! he brought us nicely wrapped things. i got the immersion blender that santa bought last minute at costco on christmas eve (thanks big guy). it makes some KILLER mashed potatoes, i will tell you what. santa brought me this great glass, too. it makes for a great photo-op, no?

after stocking madness and breakfast of candy and toast we went to church, which reminded me why exactly i love sunday christmas. my home ward is great! and the singers are talented... boy can they belt it. and  can i say how floored i was to see how grown up the babies of my memory are? last time i recall seeing half of them they couldn't even walk, and now they're singing in the choir. can i have the last three years of my life back, please?
church ended and the christmas celebration continued. we opened presents. i made rolls and cursed my drafty house when they didn't hardly rise. we spent the afternoon playing fashion show and cooking christmas dinner. family came over and we dined on christmas delicacies. oh, and we played just dance. why is it so hilarious to watch people shake their booties in just dance fashion? i find it hilarious, and a video is in the works... stay tuned.. here's a load of pics til then!

christmas ham(s)

we own couches... somewhere...

the cutest face. 

all this knitting and purling paid off

merry christmas from my family and please notice the phantom hand at my waist? yeah. 

mom + dad

thanks for stopping by,  christmas 2011! you were wonderful. see you next year. (but could you bring some snow? thanks.)
oh, and the video for which you've all been waiting...

keepin the tradition alive

merry christmas eve!

in our family, the day always involves some last minute shopping, pizza, and christmas lights. this year we dined at flatbread since dad got off early from work. usually ups holds him hostage until at least 8 pm, but a christmas miracle happened, and he showed up around 3! after eating at the nearly empty restaurant we saw sherlock holmes, and  then went on a hunt for the best lights in boise. twas a great night with the family. merry christmas from me, friends and fam! and please don't forget to celebrate the birth of our savior. his condescension truly is the greatest gift any of us could ever receive.

FESTIVE EARRINGS!

i was feeling vegan?

don't mind us, just practicing the smize.

somebody watches too much ANTM

nailed it

now i'm going to bed so santa can come.... i advise you to do the same!

things for a monday

it boggles my brain that even though i am most likely the only one still living in my building, the water in my shower still does not stay hot for more than 3.4 minutes.

i bought a bag of mixed vegetables with ten servings inside. i've managed to eat half of it and i am more or less determined to finish it by thursday.... stir fry for breakfast! stir fry for lunch! stir fry for dinner!

i am really good at getting stupidly addicted to tv shows. right now it's parenthood... don't ask me why, the show isn't even funny but they play bob dylan in the credits and i just feel like the bravermans are my friends. all the seasons are on netflix, which is not helping my problem... hello christmas break waster!

i have been pretty good at dodging excess christmas foodstuffs this year up until this last weekend. maybe it's the fact that emily made awesome gingerbread cookies. or my grandma rocks at making toffee. perhaps it lies in the fact that our break room counter at work has turned into my own personal candy buffet? when the candy popcorn comes out, my self control flies right out that window.

my gym class instructor was playing brittany spears christmas at class today. now that awful stuff is mildly stuck in my head so i'm currently trying to down it out with some of the following. i'll just take my sufjan stevens christmas album. thanks!



if you're smart, you'll itunes that album. if you're smarter, you'll download spotify and listen to the whole thing for FREE because that man's voice is like sweet, sweet buttah.

the other day i chatted with the fat man.

i think the real santa claus has been working part time at the university mall.

i know it because he's got a real beard. he doesn't wear the traditional suit, but mixes it up some with jolly suspenders and seasonal sweaters that look like they were purchased from ll bean circa 1995. (i would know what sweaters were from that year because i am pretty sure we have some old catalogs from  about then sitting in the drawer in the end table at my house in boise... mom, go check) 

he had the jolliest laugh. how do i know this? i witnessed it firsthand afte he asked me what i wanted for christmas last weekend.... to which i replied without a second thought,

"santa, i just want the metabolism of a fourteen year old boy... do you think you can handle that?"

(insert jolly laugh here)

he said he would see what he could do. i'm counting on you, mr. kringle.

in other news, i did this tonight.

evidently i am eligible to start a 401k retirement plan through my job since i've been there now over a year, so tonight was dedicated to making heads or tails of retirement planning....don't worry that the minimum age requirement to do so is 20.5 years of age and i don't even have a career yet. future husband, you're a lucky one. i've got our my life plan after 59 all figured out. between now and then is kind of hazy, but ya know, from the looks of things i'll be a millionaire just from working a reception job (sarcasm). investing in the future starts NOW.

it must be christmas

in the past two days our kitchen table has become overtaken with cakeballs, gingerbread men, snickerdoodles, caramels, and rice crispy treats laced with crack. yep, must be close to christmas.

i have posted very little about christmas.... i mean, obviously i've been to busy eating the heads off gingerbread men and picking at snickerdoodles. i promise, though i have been doing christmas-y things!

last week i spent some time making hot chocolate mix and cherry hazelnut biscotti. i've also spent a lot of time explaining what exactly biscotti is. i'll tell you what- delicious. growing up, i've got fond memories of making all kinds of christmasy things to take to neighbors around christmas. my mom is a caramel corn fiend, so that was always on the menu, along with cutesy reindeer cookies. thumbprint cookies i couldn't get my hands off of.... and  a very memorable year of "christmas fudge" aka hershey's candy and a cutesy song to go along with it my mom made us sing at every. single. door.

anyways, making the stuff brought back good memories... homemade gifts are fun.

alton brown's hot chocolate mix.

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
sprinkle of cayenne pepper (really.)

mix all the above ingredients, heat up milk (almond is delicious) and add desired amount. mix. sip. rinse. repeat.

********
cherry chocolate hazelnut biscotti
from real simple magazine

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 c toasted hazelnuts
1 c dark chocolate, chopped
1 c dried cherries

preheat oven to 350. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
mix first four ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside
with an electric mixer, mix eggs, sugar, and almond extract for 5 minutes
gradually add flour mixture to liquid. fold in hazelnuts, dark chocolate, and cherries. get your hands in there and mix it all together
on parchment paper, form two logs of dough, side by side. bake until golden brown, 30 minutes
remove from oven and let cool. when cool, slice each log into 3/4 inch strips. turn them on their side, then return the biscotti to the oven for 8 minutes, flipping halfway thorough. remove from oven and let cool. eat with above hot chocolate.

its the great christmas stick, charlie brown.

no, i'm not expecting. this was not supposed to look like a decoration for somebody's bridal shower... 

 pinterest gives me crazy ideas. an utter lack of monetary resources possesses me to yank branches off of neighboring apartment complex bushes in the middle of the day and go scavenging for rocks. sales at craft stores bully me into buying bags of plastic ornaments for 1.99.

but in a strange way, i am a fan of the christmas stick... its one plant that this girl can't kill.

saturday night christmas cheer

tonight was our work christmas party.
of course, sweaters were encouraged.... and, of course, whitney and i won best sweater awards. (please hold your applause) i'm really glad this xxl hug me bear sweater has come in so handy the last three years...

we probably ruined a perfectly good picture right here, but still, it was great.  i like my job... and those coworkers of mine, too.

on another note, i am obsessed with the lower lights christmas album.... well, maybe just the five songs i can stream online for free until i break down and buy the album. it is so good. if you've got five minutes, fast forward to the last song. it is wonderful.

good feeling 21

kelsey put up the christmas decorations. it might be november 21 but around these parts, we're welcoming christmas with open arms...i mean, its hard to say no to christmas lights. there is just something about them.
day twenty one- this has got to be my picture perfect winter. i've got a thing for hot chocolate. have you ever eaten spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix and those freeze-dried marshmallows right out of the can? .... me neither. i definitely didn't do that tonight... alright, i totally did and i recommend it. oh, and maybe i discovered THE BEST HO-CHO COMBO EVER. coconut milk + french vanilla hot chocolate mix... or maybe it was dulce de leche who knows it was just so good. i am borderline obsessed!
oh- ps, i am more or less really excited for thanksgiving. mostly for the sweet potatoes. did i ever mention how lately i have an obsession for all thing pureed? it's true. i blend everything up in my ninja mixer and just drink it. basically i've decided that i'm either a baby or a senior citizen at heart. it's cool. 

christmas break... in numb3rs. (heh)

one fabulous time in Boise meant:
one huge chunk of my hair burned to a crisp by a very hot straightener. (probably in need of one haircut)
one of the best books read. and two more to go before class starts up again... hunger games. so fantastic.
one perfect pesto pizza made on Christmas eve.

one whole season of modern family watched in one day. (record? probably. it is just too funny!)
one patriarchal blessing received finally!
one too many cookies eaten.
two trips made to the dollar movie meaning two huge bags of caramel corn eaten before both movies started.
two new mattresses for my sisters.... meaning no bed for me. three great nights on the couch!

two recipes tried out of one new vegetarian cookbook. mmmm it's a good one.
two married friends kicked out of the VVC. so good to see my high school buddies :)

three basketball games and choir concerts attended. yep i have talented siblings.

four eyes. (next week the glasses come!) i spent a good two hours at the eye doctor picking out the perfect specs to fix the problem these huge pupils in my eyes cause.
four trips out to the mall to do christmas shopping/returning. the boise town square mall and i have a love hate relationship. the good deals are the love. everything remaining is the hate.
four days spent alone in my apartment til the mates get back... there is not one living soul in all of Provo.
five chickens in the backyard providing all sorts of great eggs I wish I had to eat in Utah.

six burgers from Red Robin and a family night out. (thank youuuuu giftcards.)

six people jumping around in the living room whacking each other in the face playing the best game ever. Just Dance.
seven (billion) texts sent to my favorite boy in san diego. (sunday sunday sunday)
eight hours of sleep achieved nightly. mmmmm
nine AM workouts almost every day at the best gold's gym in the country. I wish I could have fit that gym in my suitcase.
ten minutes it took me to unearth my car from the 6 inches of ice and snow that covered my car upon arriving back in Utah.
countless pictures taken, times I laughed, times my mom and I stalked people on facebook, and times I realized how great I had it. Thanks for the good times, Treasure Valley and my great family. Love you :)

today has been swell.

I feel like I have so many posts to post. So one at a time, here we go. Let us cover Christmas 2010. Boy howdy it was a good one. If there is one word I could use to describe the day, it would just be normal. We kept our traditions alive, and spent Christmas Eve in the following regimen:
made and delivered various treats/gifts
making pizza (pesto this year. We're getting fancy :)

hitting up the lights at the Capitol and Bayhill Springs (they're getting kind of lame, Way to go, Bayhill.)

reading Luke/ The Living Christ
and then going to bed.
 I like normal.
Christmas day went the same way. We woke up at a record breaking 8 AM (usually it's 5/6) and spent the morning digging into the gifts under the tree. I keep seeing all these pictures people have been posting on facebook about Christmas and these huge parties, dressing up, etc etc etc, but to put it quite frankly, my family is a pack of bums on Christmas. We mostly lay around the house all day, Dad enjoys wearing every article of clothing that was under the tree for him in one fell swoop of an outfit (quite hilarious, I must say) and mostly we don't brush our hair or anything all day. That is why there are like no pictures on here of Christmas day. They may or may not make your eyes bleed. However, this one was just too precious not to add. A box hand picked by Kourtni with ol St. Nick holding a precious kitten. I just love cats.

To our delight Santa ended up paying us a visit, and he must have mixed up us and the good Ball children somewhere else in the US, because we got all kind of stuff we definitely didn't deserve. Payton got Wii games and a new wardrobe, Kourtni and Lindsay made killings in the clothing/footwear department, and I am now the proud owner of more clothes and a new phone. Antonio was great, but Antonio II is closely becoming near and dear to my heart. :) He's a 4G Mytouch and I am already somewhat attached.
The rest of Christmas was jolly as well after the gifting subsided. We went on a brisk walk, stuffed ourselves full of dinner, then ate more caramel corn and diet Coke at the movies that night, prefaced and followed by Just Dance, the best WII game ever invented, and then the best movie I have seen in many moons: Babies. It is the best. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.
Anyhow,  it was fantastic. So normal, so familial, so homey. Happy Holidays 2010, and only 363 til the next one!

merry christmas

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.  -The Living Christ


I really like Christmas. And this video I found today when I was playing "spy on Spain".
most of you won't understand it. watch anyways.

Nochebuena: un día de reencuentros familiares

Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. May your holiday be happy and joyous, may your heart be light, may all your troubles be out of sight. (& may Santa bring you everything you asked for. :)

hi ho, hi ho

it's back to school I go.

Break was FANASTIC. I could go on for days about the splendidness of it all, but I will spare you all the details and just run a few highlights past you...

Hot Springs

Painting

New Years

Christmas

Exploring Boise foothills

Boise's Beautiful Gold's Gym

FOOD.

So now it's back to the daily grind. Yay. (sarcasm there)

But really, so far things have been great. I'm all moved into my new room, I got to sleep til 8:30 and then hit the gym, I don't have class until noon today, and those only go until 2 :) I can handle this. My new roommate is great, and my trooper plant survived 2 weeks with no water. It's magic.

new room

Wisdom Wednesday

I've got nothing interesting to write about. And today, that's the way I like it.

WW42- Soak.

By that, I mean take it in- after such a busy last 4 months, it feels sooooo good to just relax. This week I've been filling my days with family, shopping, cooking, movies, driving a car to the gym (SUCH an underrated commodity), and seeing my estranged friends. It's delightful to be back in the City Of Trees, let me tell you.

it's days like this

that I am extremely thankful for my obnoxious zebra umbrella.

snow. rain. snow. rain.

that's been the forecast of the last week, and I see no light at the end of this wet tunnel.

last night, however, I was able to escape the rain and head over to see the lights of Temple Square with Steven.

There were oodles and oodles of people there, on account of it being Saturday + double digit weather + Jazz/ Lakers game + Christmas shopping at the Gateway

However, it was all worth it!

I'd never been to here at Christmas, and I loved it. The lights were gorgeous, and these pictures just speak for themselves.

... and this weekend was just too fun. Now for finals... :/ eek

Light-ning.

I love Christmas lights! That is one of my favorite things about Christmas- seeing people go allllll, walking a fine line between picaresque and tacky. I have this in common with quite a few of my friends, so the last two nights have been spent with various friends finding the best light displays. OH, and did we find the BEST ones. The first one, I heard about from one of my co-workers who told me she screamed with delight when she saw it. OH. I had to go. So, I made my friend find out where it was, with the help of mapquest, we were led to the president of Idaho Power's home up in the foothills. My anticipation started to build like 5 miles from his house, cuz you could SEE IT! It was marked with this ginormous red angel on the side of the hill, and last night we found out that you can basically see it from my house, too. Amazing. I guess the guy makes his employees set up his house.. it's crazy. Last night I took more of my friends, and they were pretty impressed, too. These pics definitely don't do it justice.!
The second house was THE BEST, though. It's what we like to call a "Singing House" where the lights move and are synchronized to music. This house was crazy. There were tons of people in their cars, backed on neighboring driveways to see it, and wow what a show it was. Now, it was quite tacky, with music like "yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow" and corny jokes told by a couple of penguins, but ahhh all of us were just kinda is awe of it all. This video just doesn't do the place justice... it was MUCH more bright and seizure-inducing. :) But hey, enjoy it anyways. :)

Christmas Sweaters

Man.. you've just gotta love them.
Today was ugly sweater day at good ol' THS, and while it was basically just a few token seniors that were cool enough to break out their jolliest article of clothing, it was still a good time! And Christmas break is so close we can all taste it.. Yes I am excited. .. and 94 days of school fools.

I also completed the look with some fabulous candycane earrings. How great.And one our my teachers, Mrs. Moss, bought both me and Diana helmets for Christmas because we ride our bikes to school every day... okay except not when it's snowy out. So we figured we should pretend to ride our bikes here.... oh, and currently my bike is being help captive by the bike rack because my lock won't open.. awesome!