Another Christmas has come and gone. Christmas seems to fly by faster and faster the older we get. We went back home for 3 days and enjoyed every minute of it. In those 3 days, we managed to meet up with some friends for supper, went uptown to have some drinks with old high school friends, went to the Christmas Eve candlelight church service, celebrated 3 family Christmases, and ate A LOT of food!! Actually, I ate a lot less than I normally would have as I have not been feeling well since the 21st. For the past 5 days I have had flu-like symptoms on and off, which made for an undesirable Christmas.
Adam and I must have been on Santa's nice list this year because we got everything we wanted for Christmas. I got a lefse grill, along with the utensils to go with it, kitchen items, bath towels, iPod dock, clothes, perfume, money, and a few other things. Adam got a ball/club washer and cooler for his golf cart, golf balls, golf club covers, Celtics hats, Hawkeye stuff, money, and a few other things.
Although Christmas is over, we still have a lot of exciting events coming up. My 25th birthday is on Monday, which we are meeting our families for supper in Mason City. And then we are leaving for Vegas on the 30th to celebrate the New Year!!

Christmas Cards

We've enjoyed receiving everyone's holiday greeting cards this season. However, every time we get one, Adam always comments about how we didn't send one out! He is honestly bothered by this. I told him that he could've ordered Christmas cards, why do women always have to do it?! Ha Ha! At one point, I was planning on sending cards out, but my procrastination got in the way.;) I thought about using one of our wedding pictures, but decided not to since we technically have been married for 2 1/2 years. We don't have many recent pictures of us so I decided that we would skip Christmas cards this year and try again next year. Well, to make Adam happy, we will be sending out a New Years card. We hope to get a few good pictures of us while we're out in Vegas over NYE and use one of those. So, be checking your mailbox during the first week of January!

Grown Up Christmas List

The Christmas song that is playing on the blog this week is amazing! It's called "Grown Up Christmas List" by Michael Buble. I have 4 things on my grown-up Christmas list: 1. Full-time teaching job 2. Start a family soon 3. Money for house updates 4. Peace on Earth. Here are the lyrics. Enjoy!

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well, I'm all grown-up now
Can you still help somehow?
I'm not a child, but my heart still can dream
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself, but for a world in need

Chorus:
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

What is this illusion called
the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in that blind
belief can we ever find the truth

Repeat chorus

Easy Holiday Baking

If you're anything like me, you won't attempt a recipe if it has more that 5-7 ingredients. I easily get intimidated by the long list of ingredients and steps in a recipe before even reading it. I've found a few recipes for the holidays that are also very easy to make. Give them a try!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 spice cake mix

1. Mix ingredients - batter will be stiff/sticky (Do NOT add eggs or oil, just the pumpkin!)
2. Drop by tablespoons onto lightly greased cookie sheet
3. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes
4. Let stand for 5 minutes before placing on cooling rack

These are delicious! VERY moist - a cross between a cookie and a muffin. Warning - cookie will turn out exactly the way dough appears on cookie sheet, so I smooth them out with the back of a spoon. Only 2 WW points!

Black Bean Brownies

1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 box brownie mix

1. Rinse black beans well - with beans back in the can, add enough water to cover beans
2. Put bans in blender or food processor and puree
3. Add puree to brownie mix, and then bake according to package directions.

You DO NOT add the eggs or oil that the recipe calls for, JUST the black bean puree! Makes 20 brownies-- 2 Weight Watcher Points each! Rich, moist, fudgey and full of protein and fiber! They sound gross, but I can promise you that no one will know the difference.

Holiday Pretzels

1 bag of holiday pretzels (the round ones)
1 bag of holiday m&m's
1 bag of rolo's

1. Place pretzels on baking sheet and place unwrapped rolo in the center of each pretzel
2. Bake at 250 for 4 minutes
3. Immediately place m&m in center of rolo when out of the oven
4. Cool in fridge before eating

I made these this morning. It took me less that 10 minutes to make 2 cookie sheets full. There are about 55 rolos in one bag, so you may need 3-4 bags to fill the pretzels. These went fast - I took them to work and everyone loved them. When I got home from work, Adam had the rest of them gone already! Very easy to make - thanks for the recipe mom! Here's another tip - instead of an m&m on top, use 1/2 of a pecan - then it tastes like a turtle candy. (thanks Jodi H)

Spinning Wheels

Do you remember when you were a kid and went rollerskating at the nearest roller rink? Ate pickles on a stick...attempted to do the limbo on skates....held hands with your boyfriend/girlfriend during the slow songs....sat around tables and gossiped with your friends? Well folks, I got to re-live those days and it was a BLAST! Except this time I was the one passing out the skates and taking the $10 that you spent at the concession stand! You heard it right, I am working part-time at Spinning Wheels, a roller rink here in Clarion.

It's actually not as pathetic as it may sound to you right now. The rink is only open on Friday and Saturday from 7 pm to 10 pm. Not your idea of a Friday or Saturday night? Well, it gives me something to do because Adam works majority of the weekends. I usually end up sitting at home by myself watching a movie, surfing the net, or cleaning. So why not get paid to listen to music and hang out with kids for a few hours? I had so much fun and can't wait until the owners need my help again! I met the owners because I have their 3 daughters in the after school program and they are always saying that they need help, so I gave them my name and number, and the rest is history!

PS - Adam is really proud to tell everyone that his wife works at a rollerskating rink! ;)

'tis the season

'Tis the season for school delays and cancellations! Today marked the first day of school cancellations, with many more to follow, I'm sure. I was scheduled to sub today in Belmond, but didn't have to due to the ice and inches and inches of snow. Last night I was glued to the TV waiting for Belmond-Klemme to scroll across the screen under school delays and cancellations. I think teachers are worse than kids when it comes to wanting school to be delayed or cancelled. I have a lot of college friends that are teachers and all of their facebook status' stated that they were praying for a snow day, or happy that school was cancelled. I was happy, yet a little disappointed because it was my only scheduled day of subbing this week.

Adam was a busy bee this morning and shoveled our drive way. Our front sidewalk was already done. We have no clue who cleared it, but hope it happens again. Adam already wants to buy a snow blower! It's going to be a long winter!

PS - the song playing is "Believe" by Josh Groban. It is from the best book, now turned into movie - The Polar Express. If you haven't watched it - you MUST - read the book first!

Christmas Party

We survived our first Christmas party of the season! This past weekend Adam had his National Guard Christmas party at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester, MN. The party started with a social hour, followed by a sit-down dinner, and ended with a speech from the unit's former Major General. Many toasts were made throughout the night to honor the National Guard, Freedom, the President and loved ones lost in combat. Toasts were made with their traditional "grog." A big kettle was filled with a mixture of alcohol and each soldier received a canteen cup full of the "grog." For example, long ago the unit stood fast to fight the Russians during the cold war, so Russian vodka was added, Saki was added for going to Japan during WWII, sand (brown sugar) for Iraq, etc. During a toast, all the soldiers had to stand, raise their cup, say their unit motto, and then drink...all of the up and down caused a button to pop off of Adam's uniform...haha....or maybe it was too much food and drinks...

We had a good time. I was honored to be in a room full of dedicated and brave soldiers. Although I hate the deployment aspect of the military, I really do enjoy everything else that comes with it. The haircuts, uniforms, manners, patriotism, stories, camaraderie, and closeness of families. I could definitely feel the love and pride being in a room full of 100+ soldiers and their families. There is nothing better you could give a military family for Christmas than for their solider to be home!

The "grog"

Adam and I after the party

Busy December

Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged, I just haven't been in the mood. I think the cold weather is bringing me down already! All I want to do is wrap myself in a blanket and watch a movie now-a-days. I'm still trying to catch up sleep from being back home for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time with our family and friends - maybe a little too much fun! Just ask Adam about that the next time you see him! :)

We do need to get out butts in gear though, because December is a busy month for us. This weekend we will be up in Rochester, MN for Adam's National Guard Christmas party. It should be a good time - I'm excited to go because I've never been to any of his Army "stuff" because it has always been in North Carolina. Adam has to wear his Class A's (the dress uniform) and I get to wear a dress too! Later in the month we have a wedding to go to, then we'll travel home for 3 days over Christmas, and then we leave for VEGAS on the 30th! The new year will be here before we know it!