Christmas Goodies

I've spent the last week and a half making various baked goodies to divide up into Christmas gifts for some family and friends. I still have more to bake, but here's a small list of what I've been working on...


Eggnog Fudge
If you even like the flavor but not the thick drink, you should try this. It is the perfect texture and it SO yummy! And it was all done on the stove top, so no oven work required!
(Mixed reviews from non-eggnog lovers. A few tried it and liked it but hubby didn't...instead he asked for something chocolate...and quick!)





Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
I've seen recipes for this in several places, but this time I used the Brown Eyed Baker's. These are pretty easy and an obvious great combo of peanut butter & chocolate.





Coconut Macaroons
Another easy recipe (do you see a trend?). I also like to dip the top of some of mine in chocolate.





Cinnamon Caramel Corn Popcorn
This one is good in theory, but it helps to not put the over 100 degrees higher than the recipe called for...oopsies...burnt. I may try again if I have time.





Chocolate Pretzel Turtles
Seriously...easy peasy. What took the longest was unwrapping the rolos.





Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Easy. Delicious. Popcorn. Chocolate. Peppermint. Do I need to say any more?





Peanut Brittle
First time for me to make peanut brittle. Not difficult, but you have to work fast cuz this stuff sets VERY quickly! I used the microwave version because that's what I had in my cookbook at home.




Peppermint Bark
I love this stuff! I have made it with all white chocolate as well as the layered as seen above. One thing I like to do is combine some of the crushed candy canes into the white chocolate before spreading so they are mixed INTO the chocolate. Then scatter the rest on top. I also like to get violent with it and stab it into pieces! Just be sure to use a strong knife, such as a steak knife, or you could bend good cutlery.


*This is my safety warning...don't play with knives.*
Ok, I feel better now.



I also found this neat gift idea last year. Instead of baking tons of stuff, I gave some of these Brownie Mixes in a Jar. I packaged them all cute and Christmas-y and it was a great idea for those few people that I needed a little something extra for or just wanted to keep it low-key.



Are you baking anything for Christmas right now? If so, please feel free to share a recipe. I'm looking at new recipes every day to determine what I will make next!



Next thing I will be baking...Fruitcake.
You may have grimaced when reading that, but that's probably because you've never even had a good fresh fruitcake! The one I make is still packed with fruits and nuts and is super dense, but it is also soft and full of buttah.

The Remix Finale

FINALLY...the last 2 outfits!

I had another one I wore last weekend, but I haven't had a chance to photograph it yet. Maybe you'll see it soon...

Or not, cuz I'll be pretty busy shopping and baking and sewing the next couple weeks before Christmas.

wearing: gray pants (JCPenney), purple floral shirt (Ann Taylor), striped sweater (Old Navy), pink scarf (Target?), belt (?)

You may not want to know this, but in the pic on the right, Lucy is totally taking a dump in the background. Way to ruin the shot, puppy!

LAST ONE!!!

wearing: gray skirt (Francesca's Collection), white button down shirt (Banana Republic), yellow ruffle jacket (Macy's), teal heels (Endless), striped tights (Urban Outfitters), pink floral scarf (?)

Oddly enough, I'm a little sad that it's over.

However, that's short lived, cuz I can't help but be excited to wear everything else in my closet! WOO HOO!!!

This challenge really helped me create so many outfits that I would've never thought of or worn if I hadn't been forced to do so.

I've also been coming up with several wish list items I'd like to add to my closet.

Some of which include lots of accessories (more scarves and belts for sure), more button up shirts to use when layering...short sleeve and long sleeve ones, as well as some tunic shirts.

Maybe I should post some items I'm craving.

Until then, enjoy the weekend everyone!

Coming Round The Bend

I'm trying to round up some of my remix outfits. Today's the last day and I'm actually wearing Outfit #31 today! Go me!!

But I only have pictures of 29 of those outfits...like I said before, if I don't take pictures during the day and wait to do it later, it ends up being delayed for a while.

I'm going to fit as many in this post as possible.

Here we go!!

Looking at the pictures, I like this outfit much better without the sweater. That half sleeve tee under the tank makes me look cool!

I really liked the oufits with this long plaid tunic shirt. I loved seeing it peek out the top and bottom of whatever else I was wearing.

I also love that I can wear that scarf one of 3 different ways...and probably more!

Green and purple are friends.

In case you're curious, I was telling Lucy NO!

I really liked the white collared shirt under this dress. I could've used tights to make it look more fallish though.

Black bootcut pants with high boots under them are like a sexy little secret that no one but you knows about...heehee.

Tomorrow I will wrap up my 30 for 30 remix with the final post of the last 3 outfits.

I'm SO looking forward to wearing other clothes from my closet, WOO HOO!!

Tag, I'm it

Yay, I was tagged in the Seven Things post that is going around. Thanks Shannon, I feel honored!

It's like getting one of those chain e-mails where you have to answer random questions about yourself and then forward to all your friends...and then no one ever responds. Except this time, it's more public and you are pretty much obligated to do it. So, warning for those whom I will tag, I am going to (nicely) harass you (every day) until you post...

Ok, so here are 7 things you may or may not know about me.

1. I'm a newlywed. The only way you might have missed this is if today is your first time reading the blog...because, seriously...I'm obsessed with my husband.

But how could I not be? This guy is HOT.

2. I'm the oldest of 3 siblings. Does that make me independently-minded? Sometimes. Most of the time it just means that I had to put up with annoying younger brothers...but they grew up to be pretty cool. This one is the funny one.

I'm also 5'9" but still the shortest in the family.

3. I used to weigh 70 more pounds than I do today. Ok, maybe it's closer to 65 lately, but that's still a lot. I grew up overweight and finally got rid of it as adult. I'm proud of that. But I also know that I love food and I will always struggle with this problem...and knowing is half the battle, right?

I'm second from the left in this pic.

4. I make stuff. I wasn't crafty until last year. I don't know what happened. Ok, yes I do. I wanted to make myself a bag. And then some girls at work wanted a bag. And then I made some baby stuff for my friend's baby shower a month later and it just took off from there. Check out my Etsy site...please note that I am not the best at taking pictures of my stuff! My current project is a Rollie Pollie chair for my nephew...and some other Christmas surprises that I will share later.

5. I've "met" a celebrity...with the same name as me. That's right, people, I met Lindsay Lohan. And by "meet" I mean I was in a crowd of people surrounding her outside of David Letterman's studio. Yes, awkwardly enough, I did yell out, "We have the same name!!!", even though she was literally 15 inches away from me. Also, she's short. Also, we only have the same first name.

6. I (used to) speak French. I needed to study abroad for 10 weeks to complete my diploma requirements for my major, so of course I chose to live in Paris one summer. I had a blast and met several friends, some of whom I still keep in touch with 7 years later. I'm hoping that my hubby and I can afford a trip to Europe next fall and see Paris again while we're there.

7. I'm a (not so) secret dork. I was a band nerd in high school, I love Harry Potter, LOTR, and Star Wars. And between my engineer husband and I, I am definitely the dorkier of the two of us. But at least he likes some sci-fi stuff with me.

And I now tag the following people to participate:

(if you've already done it, don't feel obligated to do it again, k?)

Lisa from Archives

Sands from Sealverland

Linda from The Auspicious Life

Ashley from Hudson's Happenings

Sarah from Wearing it on my Sleeves

Natalie from When Life Hands You a Pear

If she ever has time to blog again, Emily from Hope for Me Yet

I have about a week's worth of outfits to blog about, so y'all go on and write up cool stuff about yourselves while I work on those posts.

For the rest of you, if I didn't tag you, just tag yourself! Or leave a comment with an interesting factoid about yourself. Ready, go!!

Layering Fool

I layer a lot with my clothing, even before I started the remix challenge. But the remix has forced me to create new ideas for layering that I would've never paired together before.

A lot of my ideas are coming from being inspired by other remix bloggers out there.

If I could remember all the remix blogs I've visited, I would give the proper credit to the blogger I got my ideas from...but seriously...there's over 350...and I have no idea where I saw what.

That being said, let's check out outfits 22 and 23.

I'd like to point out that I'm actually on outfit 26, but I have to go back and take pictures of a few outfits from this past week.

Outfit # 22

black pants (New York & Co), black tank which you can't see (Kohl's), striped sweater (Old Navy), taupe sweater vest (LOFT), snakeskin heels (Steve Madden)

accessories: green scarf & yellow belt (Target)

I'm wearing a cami, then the black tank, neither of which you can see, then the striped sweater all buttoned up and underneath the taupe sweater vest. With the scarf covering everything, I could've just worn the striped sweater without a shirt under it...but that would've been quite scandalous if I'd tried to take the scarf off at work.

But I'm super proud of this outfit. I totally tried something new and wore a scarf under a belt, go me!

If I were going to change one thing about the outfit, I think I'd wear the belt a little lower. I'm thinking it looks a little high...and my husband definitely agreed.

I also want to try the scarf under belt thing under a blazer...I think it would make it look like a new shirt!

random picture from the "shoot"...

Am I angry? Am I sexy? What on earth is going on in this picture?!

Outfit #23

gray pants (JCPenney), blue tee (Francesca's Collection), blue floral cardigan (Urban Outfitters), orange cardigan (Target), yellow ruffle jacket (Macy's), purple flats (Target)
accessories: necklace & earrings (Charming Charlie)

I pinned the blue floral cardigan together so you could see more of it underneath the orange cardigan.

Yes, the orange cardigan made a comeback...already...except I combined the previous 3 outfits together even though I didn't wear them in back to back days. I highly doubt anyone at work even realizes that I wore it on Monday with the skirt and tie.

I have a crazy amount of layers in these 2 outfits. Besides all the pieces I mentioned, I am also wearing a cami underneath my shirt each time. Even under 3 or 4 layers, I still wear a cami...it has nothing to do with modesty, so I guess it is just habit by now.

We're coming around the bend for the remix and it's been quite interesting. I wrote up all my outfit ideas at the beginning but I only referred to my sheets a few times, mostly the first week. After that, I just had fun looking at my clothes and creating something new.

Next week I get to raid the rest of my closet again, YAY!

Orange Crush

I've got a crush no, not on myself...though sometimes my pictures make you think that.

I'm crushing on the color orange.

To me, it is the essence of fall.

It represents the changing of seasons (which I don't see in Houston), yummy dishes (all things sweet & savory surrounding sweet potatoes & pumpkin), and spices used for all those dishes. Spices I only really use this time of the year.

It also reminds me of football as my husband went to the University of Texas (I went to Texas A&M...Gig 'Em!) and we watch a lot of college football each fall.

This orange cardigan has been used a lot but I can still see many other ways to wear it in the 30 for 30 challenge.

Here are 3 ways I've worn it recently.

Outfits # 19-21

19.

orange cardigan, white button down shirt, taupe sweater vest, black skirt, teal heels

accessories: in place of a necklace, a red tie (origin unknown)

20.

orange cardigan, purple floral button down shirt, gray pants, black flats

accessories: colorful beaded necklace (Costa Rica), yellow belt (Target)

21.

This was my shopping outfit for Black Friday.

orange cardigan, yellow half sleeve tee, gray pants, black flats

accessories: glasses (in place of contacts), purple tank (Old Navy), polka dot pashmina (some shop on Harwin Street in Houston)

I tied a knot in the pashmina and looped it to look like an infinity scarf. I never thought of this until I saw the idea here.

Confession: I used to hate the color orange. Literally hated it. I thought I looked horrid when I wore it...and I was right, I do look terrible when I wear certain shades of orange.

I think that is true for most people and most colors. You have to find the shades in each that work for you. I have found that my features work better with more vibrant colors. Pair that with the fact that they also make me smile and now you can picture most of my wardrobe.

But pretty much everyone can wear the color black. And while it is both versatile and classic, I sometimes get bored with it.

Branch out with me and put some color back into your wardrobe! If you mostly wear neutral colors, punch up your outfit with a colorful accessory.

Believe me...bright colors will brighten your day.

Here's a glimpse of my Black Friday adventures...

Waiting outside of a store at midnight with my mom.

Not shopping for myself here...my mom wanted me to try on some boots.

But I did break down and buy a few things for myself at Old Navy on Black Friday.

Then I went home and threw the bag in the back of my closet to avoid the shame I felt.

Taking a break at 2:00 am for coffee and "breakfast" at IHOP.

My cousin Kelsey is pictured here with me. She's effortlessly cute. Annoying, isn't it? :)

Turkey Day Attire

Outfit #18 of the challenge was on Turkey Day.

Simple layered outfit + yummy foods = wonderful holiday with the family.

Jeans are a good idea if you don't want to stuff your face too much. Too bad I forgot that was the reason I wore them.

I've been experimenting with taking my pictures myself. I guess my backyard fence is as good a backdrop as any.

Coming up tomorrow and perfect for the fall and holidays...the color orange.

Outfit:

yellow half sleeve tee (Downeast Basics)
white short sleeve button down shirt (Banana Republic)

bootcut jeans (GAP)

purple ruffle flats (Target)

jewelry (er...?)

Thankful

I feel obligated to do a post of thankfulness in honor of the recent (American) holiday.
Warning: This may get sappy.

Here are a few items on my thankful list:

1. My husband.

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple.

It didn't really feel any different, but it's definitely fun to say we're a family. Even if it's just a family of two.

He's a sexy man, my best friend, and has natural abilities in most sports, in the kitchen...and constantly makes me laugh (and I'm totally jealous of the kitchen abilities). Not to mention that he cares about me a LOT. I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

2. My family.

This includes my awesome parents, my brothers and sister-in-law, my niece and nephew, my aunts...this list is getting long...uncles, cousins, grandparents, and in-laws. Yes, I actually like my in-laws. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[Insert picture here]

There's no way I can picture everyone here, so just imagine LOTS of people...and all good-looking, of course.

If you sat at the table with my side of the family for Thanksgiving this year, you might think we're a little nutty. There are about 5 different conversations going on at once (think While You Were Sleeping..."these mashed potatoes are so creamy") and all 15 people want to participate in the 5 conversations. Couple that with my brother who likes to throw rolls at my face...yes, he is an adult...and that's my family.

3. My dear friends

AKA Club Awesome

Yes, we dubbed ourselves this title of "Club Awesome," but it seemed to fit so well...especially since we are all very awesome in our own ways.

From left to right:

The crafty fashionista (ME!)

The ambitious photographer mom (Tami)

The cupcake-baker crafty mom-to-be (Susan)

The kind and effortless beauty (Emily)

4. My doggies

Layla

Lucy

How can you not love these faces?

Even when they crowd you in your own bed...you can't help but love them!

There are many other people and things that I am thankful for, but that list would be too long and pretty boring.

Hope those of you in the US had a wonderful holiday. And hope the rest of you weren't bitter about our holiday.

Stay tuned for more outfits from the 30 for 30 challenge...

coming soon to a blog near you...(this one).