a handmade holiday...

Happy New Year, friends! I hope December treated you well. Since one of my new year's resolutions is ALWAYS to spend the time to MAKE more things, I thought I would remind myself (and you at home) of some of the handmade gifts I gave this past holiday. You know, to like...remind me that I have fun when I'm making.

This year it snowed on Christmas so I thought it was fitting that most of my handmade gifts were accessories that help with the cold:

a knitted infinity scarf for M.K. It's a long circle scarf that you can wear tons of different ways (just google it)...


this scarf for my boss. You know how I LOVE color...


another infinity scarf for my cousin, Sandra. (Daniel offered to model for me...)



and for the boyfriend- I made what we are affectionately calling: the "infinity" hat.
It turns out that a HUGE hat can be worn A LOT of ways!

look number 1: (there were SO MANY, but I will only bore you with a few...


look number 2: we're calling this pope meets cat in the hat...


look number 3: JT trying to look like Sway...


look number 4: He likes this one..


You know I had to try it out myself...

paper coffee cups are red again & my mom is buying presents

It is tradition in our extended family that we "turn our Christmas lists in" by the evening of Thanksgiving or we don't get any presents. For me, (since I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2005 -until this year!!) that usually means I rack my brain ALL day and send my mom and/or aunts sporadic texts and emails requesting whatever combination of items I need and/or want that will fit into my luggage for the return trip. I like surprises so I try to make my list longer than it has to be. Since I'm too big and too creeped out to sit on the mall Santa's lap, I thought I would post my list here of my reasonable//usual//impossible Christmas wants for the 2010 Season (for my mom's reference and your enjoyment of course).

DISCLAIMER: Now before you go about judging us on our consumerism and touting on in your head about the "reason for the season," etc, :) there are some things you should know about our family: 1.My grandfather LOVED presents and watching us open them, and I think in our own ways we still perform for him each Christmas- getting and giving gifts and posing for photos with all our spoils. 2.We have an elaborate system of gift giving that includes high levels of communication between cousins, aunts & uncles, and the matriarch, grandma- all with aunt jeni keeping the records in her pocket book! I really like when I get to see my family in action, thinking about each other regularly and sharing shopping days and wish lists, learning how individual interests have grown and changed over the year. It's a hyped up version of how close we all are already. 3.There is so much about our Christmas that truly points to the love that exudes from the "reason for the season" and while we are cutting back a little on gifts this year (to adopt an angel family) and I am trying give handmade (mostly) this season- I still really like presents. :)

NOW- on to a few highlights from the list:

The old Stand by calendar
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This book (get on amazon, Mom, & save some money)


Some boots to keep me warm AND professional

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Pretty accessories for my head
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This ENTIRE outfit-

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Gift Cards (Lane Bryant//Old Navy//Joann Fabrics//Subway//Starbucks//Hobby Lobby//Books-a-million) you can't go wrong.
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THIS-
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Movies & Shows!! Oh my!




Tights and leggings in bright colors!!






Flip UltraHD
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Snow...


And something a little simpler...


Just a few things that I'm interested in this Holiday Season.

INTERACT: What's on YOUR Christmas list this year?

Today we celebrate our independence day!

Since today is the Fourth of July, I plan to take some time to reflect on the great moments of our nation's history. I can't help but remember that 14 years ago, with humankind inches from annihilation, our president Thomas J. Whitmore delivered one of the most inspirational speeches in the history of our great nation:


"Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind, (and we could replace this with humankind) that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist and should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive. Today we celebrate our independence day!"

President Thomas J. Whitmore
July 4, 1996

Secret Ingredient Series: holiday sauce

A while back I tried this AMAZING carrot cake by friend Marianne made. I absolutely adored it, but she wouldn't tell me the secret recipe. My jealousy and frustration with her inability to spill the beans led me to one conclusion: I want ALL my cooking to be secret ingredient cooking. I concluded then and there that I would start to modify recipes to add a hint of secret, b/c everyone always likes a secret. From time to time I will post a recipe (minus the secret ingredient) on the blog and challenge you to add your own "secret ingredient."

Enter my first opportunity to deliver: The Euc Thanksgiving. I signed up to bring cranberry sauce, b/c frankly it annoys me that when people purchase it from the can and slice the "sauce" onto a plate. I thought I would either make it from scratch or at worst,plop the can into a bowl and stir. Novel, I know. I made it from scratch and doesn't it look delicious.



I called my grandmother in hopes to hear some secret family recipe, but she said she just makes it from the directions on the bag. Lots of sugar and water, lots of stirring, and lots of fun poping cranberries!!!



I didn't have oranges or oj (don't some people put this in cranberries) so did a test batch with my secret ingredient (CLUE: something I had on hand that I bought a Fiesta on a whim) and it was AWESOME! Attempt 1: SUCCESS

INTERACT: What could your secret ingredient be in cranberry sauce (canned or not)this holiday season?

INTERACT 2: How does your family eat/serve cranberry sauce?

an invitation...