I never said I was good at baking..

... but I thought it would be fun to try :) I am actually decent with cooking these days, but baking is a whole other story. Normally when I make cookies I buy the break and bake type (which I guess doesn't really count as making them, more like I pull them apart and put them on a cookie sheet).. you know like these:

The only time I have ever actually made cookies was when I was little and really my mom did those, all I did was help pour in a thing or two and then pretend like I did it all myself  :) So last night my friend Angela and I decided we wanted to do something festive since it's almost Christmas and we thought it would be fun to make holiday cookies.

 So I started pulling out some ingredients..

and she started mixing them together.

 

..and while it was a good idea, I guess we didn't really think it through. Neither of us had ever made cookies ourselves before, but for some reason we both figured making them from scratch was super easy and we didn't even need a recipe.  After our first batch we realized we needed a little help, and decided to call Ang's grandmother for some advice (thank goodness for her, otherwise we may still be in the kitchen trying to figure it out!).Thankfully our next batch turned out much better:

 

Then we attempted decorating some of the sugar cookies....

 

my side got a little bit messy

So after almost 4 hours in the kitchen we ended up with 3 dozen sugar cookies, 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies, and TONS of laughs! We each only decorated about 6 sugar cookies before deciding to call it quits and just put the rest in bags haha... but Ang did get us these cute little containers that we used for the chocolate chip cookies :)

Also, I had to share this picture of what Vince and Ty did the whole time we were busy in the kitchen:

Overall it was a really fun night and now maybe next time I decide to bake some cookies I will have a better idea of what the heck I am doing! lol.

It's almost C H R I S T M A S :)

I saw this list over at Gina's blog and I thought it would be fun to do since Christmas is only 2 weeks from Friday! (crazy how fast this month is going!)

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping? 

Yes I have! I am actually done other than getting a gift for my dad (and I do at least know what I am getting him) A lot of my gifts are even wrapped already :)

2. Tell me about one of your special traditions.
Ever since I can remember on Christmas Eve right before we go to bed my dad will read a story about the first Christmas and the birth of Jesus to all of us. He reads it every year right after we hang our stockings (that's another tradition- we don't hang them at my parent's house until Christmas eve) even though it was a kids book and we are grown up and I still love it. It's just something sweet and simple and it wouldn't seem like Christmas without it.

3. When do you put up your Tree?

Well typically my family puts up a tree right after Thanksgiving, but this year I had one up the week before Thanksgiving and one the week after :)

4. Are you a Black Friday shopper?

Yes. I love the craziness and excitement of it all. I don't really know why, but I actually like to get up WAY too early just to wait outside in the cold with a bunch of pushy mom's just to get things I don't really need haha. I guess to me it just marks the start of the holiday season haha. Plus, it's the first day that I allow myself to start listening to Christmas music 24/7 ;)

5. Do you Travel at Christmas or Stay home?
Both, it just depends on the year. Last year my grandparents bought the whole family tickets for a cruise that week as our Christmas gift, so we were actually in Saint Thomas on Christmas Day. This year we are staying home and my family is coming to stay with us. Either way I always have a great time and get just as excited, as long as my family is with me it doesn't matter where we are.

6. What is your funniest Christmas memory? 

hmm... not really sure.. I would have to think about that one and it's too late for me to want to think right now.

7. What is your favorite Christmas Movie of all time?

It's a tie between Christmas Vacation (just watched that tonight actually lol) or Jingle all the Way. They both get me laughing no matter what.

8. Do you do your own Christmas baking? What’s your favorite treat?
Hahaha... this is good questions considering my friend Angela and I just spent 3 hours in my kitchen making Christmas cookies... it was a rather interesting evening. (I will post about that later) But, no before that I have never baked anything for Christmas. I like cooking, but I am not the biggest fan of baking (and I am not very good at it either haha). I don't really have a favorite treat, I like lots of them :)

9. Fake or Real Tree?
Fake. I know that real tree's smell good and make it your house really smell like Christmas and there is something special about having a real tree versus just a fake one... BUT the real ones leave pine needles everywhere, plus you have to water them, and you have to hang lights on them (ugh, thats the worst!)... so this is the first year that I have given up on the real ones and decided to do just fake trees (with lights already on them.. yesss!). It's just so much easier.

10. What day does the actual panic set in to get it all done?
I actually don't usually panic about it, because I like to get everything done well in advance. However, I know when I have kids I may not be able to get it done as early so I might be more likely to panic at some point.

11. Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

Nope not normally. (that might make me panic)

12. What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?

Christmas night after gifts have all been open and dinner is done (and cleaned up).. we all just sit around, relax, and watch a good Christmas movie. It's a nice way to end the holiday :)

13. What Christmas craft do you like the best? 

decorating gingerbread houses

14. Christmas music? Yes or No, and if yes, what is your favorite song?
Heck YES! How can anyone not like Christmas music??? haha. hmm... what is my favorite song? That's hard because there are SO many I like! I guess if I have to pick my favorite would be Baby it's Cold Outside (the Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey version), I just think it's so cute and I love singing along to it. I also love Grown up Christmas list (there are so many versions and I like them all!), Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton, and Christmas Shoes by Kenny Chesney (even though it makes me tear up!)
 

15. When do you plan to finish all your shopping? 

Sometime within the next few days.


 

Do you want to play along?Just simply copy and paste the questions into your blog, and then answer them.

Then tag 5 or more of your favorite blogs, and leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged.

When you post on your blog, please spread some Christmas Cheer, and leave a link back to the blogger who started the meme: Heather, at Top 10 Christmas 

I am not tagging anyone because I think EVERYONE shouLd do it! Come on, tell me about your Christmas ;)

Happy Birthday Ty :)

Today is my little man's 1st birthday. When we first brought him home he was exactly 10wks old and weighed 1lb 2oz.. he was the size of a beanie baby (and that's how we came to name him Ty, since Ty makes beanie babies). It is amazing how quickly he became a part of our little family. I can't even imagine coming home everyday without seeing his cute face at the top of the stairs waiting for us or not waking up every morning to him curled up next to me.

We don't have any kids yet, so for now Ty is our baby.. and really no matter how many kids we end up having Ty will always be one of our babies :) So to celebrate our little puppy growing up (he is a whole 4lb 5oz now! haha) here are some of my favorite pictures of him throughout the year.

Ty's first day home

a little over 3 months old

6 months and getting ready for his first flight to Missouri (and yes I took him on the plane with me, not in a cage underneath)

About 9 months 

 

Almost 11 months (just woke up and in desperate need of a haircut haha)

1 year and all grown up ;-)

Winter Wonderland :)

We got our first snow of the year today and it looks SO pretty outside :) (Thankfully though I was able to go to lunch with Ang and do a little more Christmas shopping before it started sticking, because I seriously hate driving in the snow!)

(view from our deck)

So since Vince is out of town for the night and I don't want to drive anywhere in the snow, I decided to do some more Christmas things around the house :) I wrapped some gifts and put them under our tree, I added a few finishing touches to our second tree downstairs, and I found a fun way to hang our Christmas cards as we get them during the next month.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

our 2nd tree in the basement :)

This tree has more traditional colors and is where we hang all of our favorite ornaments. These are just some of the ones we got last year at our wedding from family and friends. The one of the right is probably my favorite of all of our ornaments.. its says "Your heart will always lead you home" and "new home 2008" is on the ribbon. <3

We will continue to add more cards to the ribbon as we get them :)

I plan to spend the rest of the evening curled up with Ty and watching a couple good movies. Hope you all have a great night!

"It's a Beautiful Day in this Neighborhood"

We bought our first house (well technically a townhouse) a year ago and I was so excited to move in and get to know all of our neighbors. It was a brand new development which was nice because everyone was new and there weren't a bunch of clicks already formed. Everyone is pretty close in age and a lot are newly married/engaged, some have kids and some don't, but everyone is so nice and so much fun! There is constantly someone having  a party or a get together. (One of my favorites was over the summer, we actually did an "around the neighborhood" party and went to about 12 houses and had a drink and appetizer at each (the kids were all with their grandparents for the night) and everyone was up and hanging out till past 3am. haha)

Last night one of the ladies up the street had one of those Party Lite parties and it was really nice to just relax and hang out for a couple of hours with all of the girls in the neighborhood. When I got home I was talking to Vince about how fun it was and was also thinking about how glad I am that we chose to buy a house here. I have been in a hurry to move and get a bigger house, and we still don't plan on staying in the townhouse too much longer, but I guess I never really appreciate that this has been a great starter home and great place to spend our first year married. We have been lucky to have such wonderful and friendly neighbors, it has made this past year so much fun. No matter where or when we end up moving, I think a part of me will always love this place <3


oook so enough with that sappy stuff.. I hope everyone is having a fabulous FRIDAY! My company is hosting a big holiday party tonight for our clients in Philadelphia. I have been helping to plan it and it should be a really good time. I am getting ready to head home to get changed (still not sure what I am wearing though?!) and then off to the city to help set up, but I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for getting a really nice email from my husband this morning, it was just what I needed right now <3

I am thankful the sun is finally shining today... it's a nice change after all the rain.

I am thankful for a Saturday planned with spending time with some of my best friends. Lunch with Ang and drinks with Kait.. sounds like a perfect Saturday to me :)

I am thankful for Ty getting groomed on Sunday. I normally take him every few weeks, but I got busy and had to cancel his last appointment and now he needs it really bad.

I am thankful for online banking. I hate having to balance a checkbook and this makes it so much easier.

I am thankful that our wedding album should be in any day now. I seriously can't wait! (plus we had mini 5inch albums made that are just like our actual album for our grandparents and I really want to give them to each of them as Christmas gifts!)

I am thankful for Diet Dr Pepper. I don't typically drink soda or coffee, but once in awhile (particularly on days like today when I am exhausted) it's a perfect pick me up :)

I am thankful they are planning on opening Mount Snow in Vermont this weekend, so that by the time we go to ski next weekend there should be a good amount of trails open.

I am VERY thankful that in exactly 20 days I will be going to the airport to pick up my family for Christmas :) :)

25 Days of Christmas

For the next 25 days I will wake up every morning and grab a piece of chocolate out of our advent calendar on my way to work, I will listen to nothing but Christmas music in my car, I will continue to add to our decorations around the house, I will make holiday treats and decorate ginger bread houses, I will shop more than normal and wrap gifts with more bows than necessary.... and most importantly I will be crossing off each day on my calendar until my family come to celebrate Christmas with us <3

update: I thought I should make a few color changes to my blog in celebration of the holiday season ;-)