I am 15 going on 16

Which of these things is not like the others?

Christmas break was fantastic, and can I just say how much I love having a sister that is turning 16 in about three weeks :) We teased her endlessly about dating. And this life-sized Zac Efron was waiting for her on Christmas morning. We all walked into the family room and were a little taken back because he looked so real, and we were wondering who this person in our family room was. Good times.

Some highlights from the week:

1. Team Robby! There are three boys - Robby, Ryan (twins) and Bennett - in our ward that we like/Sam likes/like Sam. So all week we were giving her a hard time about who we liked best. Both families came over for Christmas Eve so the teasing all started there. Since she's the only one left at home we needed to toughed her up with teasing . . . and have a little payback since it is finally her turn.
2. Bowling. Its a tradition that we always to bowling over Christmas break, and since we only bowl once a year we are really good :) We need two lanes so naturally we decided to name our teams Team Robby and Team Bennett. Then we raised the stakes a little bit and placed a bet that if Sam's team didn't win she had to call the boys and if they did she didn't. I've never seen someone so nervous over a game of bowling before in my life. She was almost in tears as they started to lose :) On a side note, I bowled the best game of my life! A 114 . . . even beating my dad!
3. The animal safari. A few hours outside of Atlanta there is this Animal Safari place that is completely white trash. I'll have to devote a whole post to it, but suffice it to say it was an experience. A disgusting, hysterical experience.
4. Riggins. We finally introduced Shannan to Riggins. And of course she is hooked. It was 3 a.m. before we left the theatre. I love season 1 of FNL.
5. Driving way to fast to get to Bruster's before they closed. I wanted, scratch that, needed Bruster's. I'd already gone twice and they had been closed. So after bowling we headed over there for key lime pie ice cream. It was 9:50 and we were pretty sure they closed at 10. We were at least 15 minutes away. So, Dad drove faster and Caisa called and begged the 15 year old that was working to stay open an extra 5 minutes for us. As we were pealing into the parking lot it was 10:05 - thankfully they were still open for us.
6. Driving. I haven't owned a car in three years, and I don't think I've driven in almost two. Seriously, haven't been behind the wheel of a car. I thought I would miss it, but it was the one thing that surprised me about NYC. I love not having a car! Some friends and I are going to Atlanta in a few weeks because they wanted to see Atlanta, and I won't lie. I was a little nervous that I would have to drive. But I am here to tell you that it really is like riding a bike. I did some "practicing" over the break and it all came back. No worries ladies. No worries.
7. Ice cream. It's tradition to make homemade ice cream on Christmas Eve. I tried three new flavors I've never made before. Frozen Yogurt (a la my Pinkberry obsession), Sugar-free Chocolate (Have you ever heard of Agave Nectar before? Nether had I.) and White Chocolate Sorbet. Delicious. I really don't use my ice cream maker enough.
8. Christmas Eve. We had all of the our family, plus two families from the ward and the Elders over. The Walton's chimes and the Elder beatboxing = good times.
9. Smarty Pants. We got a Wii for Christmas. Enough said. We played all the time. But to prove just how nerdy we are, our favorite game is called Smarty Pants. It's a trivia game. Yup, that's right a trivia game. We like to prove who's the Smartest Smarty Pants in the family :) We're not competitive at all. And in case you were wondering, of course it is me :)
10. My Christmas PJs. Mom I love you, but I've never laughed so hard in my life. I kind of wish I had a pictures, but it was so bad it wasn't even picture funny.

Oh so many more good times. All the Atlanta vacation highlights. Sleeping until 11. Atlanta food highlights - Moe's, Chick-fil-A, Mellow Mushroom and Bruster's all within a 24 hour period. Movies - in the real theatre and our theatre. Sisters, sisters and more sisters. I love my family.

Tonight Kelli and I are off to brave the insanity that is Times Square for New Years!! I can't wait. I'll have pictures and stories from standing for more than 8 hours with half a million of our closet friends tomorrow.

Tradition, Tradition! Tradition!

Maybe it has something to do with having five daughters (a la Fiddler on the Roof), but we’re pretty big on traditions in our family. If we do something once and we like it, it becomes a tradition. I’m heading to the airport in less than two hours, and I can’t wait for a week of traditions with the fam!

One of our many Christmas traditions is after our Christmas Eve dinner and reading from Luke, we put on our new pajamas and go for a drive to look at the lights. Five girls in one car blasting Christmas music – seriously blasting – and singing classics like Barbara’s Jingle Bells, Britney’s My Only Wish and Mariah’s All I Want For Christmas until our voices are hoarse. . . good times, good times.

Last year we heard about this house in the area that had its lights set to music, so you listen on the radio and watch out your car window. We went and were highly disappointed! It was horrible. (and maybe we have very high expectations, just maybe) Where was this house?



Merry Christmas!

Spiteful, Vindictive, Very Large (Diet Coke) but never Crazy

Karen and I have a tradition where we go see a late movie the night before we leave for Christmas break. For the 3rd Annual Christmas Movie we went to see Enchanted. (We saw The Family Stone the first year and for the life of me I can't remember what we saw last year . . . maybe it will come to me.)

When we got to the theatre it was completely empty. The whole Times Square huge theatre was completely empty. So of course we had to have a very impromptu photo shoot. (KC and Mel you are rubbing off on me!)


The large Diet Coke was a little larger than I thought! What can you do :)


KZ: You kind of look like the Grinch in that one.
Me: Gee, thanks
KZ: No, no. You know when he does those facial expressions. (insert her trying to mimic them)




Fun night. Cute movie. Adorable McDreamy.

Now I should be packing, but where is the fun in that :)

Introducing Guest Blogger Miss KZ

Growing up I was lucky enough to always have my own room, so imagine my surprise when I moved into the dorms in college and my roommates told me that I talked in my sleep. Apparently I would have full on conversations with them. Who knew? A few years later I had a roommate who was fascinated by the fact that I never had "morning voice." She later attributed that to the fact that I never stop talking. And now, the lovely KZ gets to (or is that has to) listen to me in my sleep. She always cracks me up with stories about what I did or said in my sleep, and this post had me laughing so hard I had to try to contain myself in my little cube so my co-workers wouldn't think I'm too crazy.

So now I introduce to you the first guest blogger on And I Mean That In The Nicest Possible Way. The floor (or is that post) is yours Miss KZ . . .

First of all, let me just say what an honor and privilege it is to be a guest on your blog. Especially considering I gave up updating mine months ago…it’s kind of nice to be back in the blogging world.

We all know that Kristan prides herself on speaking her mind. And if you don’t know that you obviously don’t know her and have stumbled upon this blog through a Google search or by linking off a friend’s or something. Regardless, she’s a woman who never wants for words…not even in her sleep.

Not long after moving into the room with Kristan I discovered that she talks in her sleep. A lot. And it isn’t your average mumble-as-you-roll-over kind of sleep-talking either. It’s pronounced. It’s direct. And it demands a response.

I’m not kidding. One of my favorite sleep-talking moments was when Kristan asked me a question (you’ll have to forgive me for not remembering what it was because I was asleep when she asked me, you see) and I (once again, being asleep) did not respond. I was awoken by Kristan flailing her arm in frustration, hitting her bed and saying in the most exasperated tone “Karen! I asked you a question!! What do you have to say?!”

What did I have to say? I sat up wide-eyed and confused (and I’ll confess even a little scared) and asked her what on earth she was talking about but she didn’t respond. It took me a few seconds to realize that she was asleep. I didn’t sleep well the rest of that night because I kept waiting for her to repeat the question/performance. Classic.

In all honesty, I’m a little surprised that she doesn’t wake herself up sometimes when she talks because Heather’s even commented about how she’s heard her all the way downstairs before. I’m telling you, Kristan doesn’t even cut herself any slack when she talks in her sleep. It’s go big or go home. Sometimes I’m convinced she has woken herself up because she’ll move so much. Once I awoke to Kristan as she let out a sort of frustrated groan before SITTING UP, throwing both arms out and waving them in vexation while declaring “I don’t know! I just don’t know!”. I sat up and asked her what but, obviously, she didn’t respond. She sighed and put her head back on her pillow. I was once again left dazed and wondering "did that really just happen or am I dreaming?”

Kristan is brutally honest even when she’s sleep-talking. But what else would we expect? Kristan is Kristan even when she sleeps. Just as in her waking moments, if Kristan doesn’t want to do something, she won’t do it. There was a going-away party for someone several weeks ago (maybe even months by now, they’re all running together) and Kristan referenced it in her sleep. She obviously didn’t want to go because she said, in a way and tone that only Kristan can say it, “Ugh. I’m NOT going. I don’t even know so-and-so. No way.”

So, there you have it, a little further insight into the world of Kristan. Perhaps I’ll even be back with more hilarious sleep-talking updates one day if I’m permitted. You should look forward to it. :)

Holiday Cards

Every year my mother (along with most mothers across the country) sends out the family holiday letter. This is what she said about me this year:

Kristan relishes her city lifestyle and can't figure out how to support her shopping and entertainment without working. Residing on the Upper West Side of Manhattan gives plenty of opportunity for amusement options – the dilemma is not being able to do everything! She is a great tour guide and gives an inside view of living in the Big Apple. Kristan and Kelli find a way to get together about once a month either in NYC or DC.

At the end of the day all I do is shop and entertain myself? Okay, fine, it's true. I live a rough life.

2007 has been a wonderful year for me. I am very thankful for all of the blessings I've received, and my wonderful family and friends. Someone recently reminded me that I should tell everyone I love them . . . just in case. So while this may not be the best venue for this, my emotional, sappy self has been thinking about how much my friends and family mean to me. I love you all and am so glad you're in my life. Happy Holidays!

All I Want For Christmas

That's what it's all about, isn't it? That's what it's always been about. Gifts, gifts . . . gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts . . . the avarice never ends! I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue.

On Saturday braved the bitter cold and set out to finish my Christmas shopping, and I succeeded! This year I decided to ship my presents home, because well I didn't want to lug them on the airplane with me. So Sunday I had a wrapping party while watching The Grinch. I think I may like wrapping presents almost as much as I like finding the perfect gifts.


Which, speaking of finding the perfect gifts, I have been told NUMEROUS times this week that I'm incredibly hard to shop for. Really? Moi?

Maybe I Will Get Into School

So since I'm procrastinating at work (who really wants to work when they go on vacation in three days!), I discovered this completely stupid, worthless blog thing. I don't typically do these things - and I especially don't post them - but clearly I'm procrastinating, plus the results were in my favor :) It's The Blog Readability Test - What level of education is required to understand your blog? They don't mention their criteria, and even if they did it's complete bollocks, but . . .

Let's check out some of my other blogging friends.

Nerak

Mel

Michele

Natalie

Oh, I could go on, but you can make your reading decisions based on these ratings.

Warren Miller's Playground

I'm pretty sure I sat there with my mouth open the whole two hours. Now I just need to book my ticket out to Utah.

And while snow is great in the mountains, I'm really hoping we don't get pounded this weekend. There is nothing worse than trying to get around the city in bad weather - especially when I still have so much shopping I have to do!

Richard from Texas

I like to write, and I love a good story. However, reading has always seemed somewhat of a chore for me. Until Book Club. I love these ladies. We continue to grow with more "cool kids" - try getting 9 girls at one table in a restaurant in Manhattan. And that's before we even start talking. Good times.


If you haven't jumped on the Eat, Pray, Love bandwagon, I highly recommend you do.

Sometimes things get a little crazy at the company holiday party

Some of my favorite quotes of the night, after one too many glasses of wine of course:
You are so beautiful. No really, you are.
You are like the most fun sober person I've met. And trust me, I've partied with some not fun sober people.
Okay so you can't tell anyone this, but . . .
Wow, you can actually dance. Who would have guessed you had rhythm.
Just flow . . . just flow with the music.

A Smile To My Face

Is it just me, or does this not make you grin ear to ear (compliments of the other Kristin):

Q: Can Tim Riggins move in with me? Please? Because he won't just have to sleep in my garage...
A: Hey, now! I have a feeling you may have to stand in line...While it might be a while before we see how this all plays out, my sources tell me Tim doesn't stay at the Taylors' for too long. Somebody else whose name rhymes with Schmulie just might have the same idea as you, and Coach Taylor won't be having that under his roof.

Ho Ho Ho

Saturday we had the annual girls night Christmas party with the infamous white elephant gift exchange. We ate, laughed and laughed some more.

The best part about white elephant gifts if the giver always thinks their gift is HYSTERICAL. They always do. And of course, I thought my gift was hysterical too. I found the perfect gift a few weeks ago. Not only was it classic, but if fit with our favorite gift from last year - The Bond Shirt. The problem was it was from a store in London! After a lot of searching I found a retailer in the US and got the gift in time. It was well worth it. Especially Bryndee's reaction when she opened it, "I don't get it?" And even more perfect was KC stealing it.


A fun night with the ladies filled with a "Good Girls Go To Heaven Bad Girls Go To New York" t-shirt, a chicken calendar - a la "It's a rooster!" from last year, festive underpants, a Ho Ho Ho wine bottle holder filled with DC - 2 liters . . . not to be confused with a 1 or 1.5 liter :), a What Would Riggins Do t-shirt and the Daniel Craig tea towel.




I love these ladies. Amazingly we almost had the same group from last year - Michele even came up from DC, and Kellie and KZ were missed. We may have to fly from all over the country next year to get back together, but I think we can do it ladies! Merry Christmas!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A fresh Christmas tree is one of my favorite smells. In the city there are Christmas tree stands on almost every corner, so it makes walking down the street so Christmasy. I love it. I can't imagine a Christmas without a REAL tree! So Monday we had a little roommate FHE, and we went and picked out our Christmas tree and decorated the apartment.

Of course I had to bring out the Grinch hands!

Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double Hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!

Yes, we carried our five foot tree up our three flights of stairs.

Our tree was a little bigger this year compared to our Charlie Brown tree last year, so the stand was too small. No worries. Nothing a kitchen knife couldn't solve! That's right, I used a serrated knife on our Christmas tree.


Even if I wanted to help decorate it my schedule wouldn't allow it. Four o'clock, wallow in self pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercize. 6:30, dinner with me. I can't cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing; I'm booked.

The finished tree.
Our festive mantel.

Maybe I'm not the Grinch after all.

Woohoo!

One out of three completed and submitted!

YEAH!

It's All Her Fault

I blame it all on KC. I realize that is a bold statement, but it's true.

Last week she posted about a new song she discovered - and as a result is obsessed with - Jason Mraz's I'm Yours.



And then she proceeded to issue a challenge to what she called a "dire situation." She couldn't find a copy of the song and needed help. Then at lunch she said she knew she could count on me to find it. I can't back down to a challenge like that! So while I didn't have time, I made some time to quickly search. I found it, and then proceeded to tell her I had it but not share it with her for about a half an hour - I couldn't help myself.

But now I can't stop listening to it. It's so adorable. I need balance KC - I need to stop listening to this song on repeat. Until then, repeat it is.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la

Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don’t be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl

The last night Mel, Bryndee, Jane and I went to go see The Little Mermaid - I forgot how much I love that movie! It was such a fun show. Prince Eric was always my favorite Disney Prince. The acting was fantastic - Sebastian and Ursula were my favorites. But I have to say I was a little disappointed in the costumes. Fun night!

Good News

I can't tell you how fantastic this is! I've wanted this feature so many times. Thank you Google.

I think I have an addiction. I know I've blogged about this before. Oh yeah, and I've taken them and them. But since the location less than five blocks away from my house opened my credit card statement has started to look like I have a problem.

I've been craving bananas. Bananas. All the time. Apparently my body needs potassium or something. And I've had this craving for weeks. Weird.

I'm so glad this is over! For Heather and my Little Mermaid tickets tonight! Now WGA it's your turn.

I think my white elephant gift is going to make it on time for next Saturday! This is a spoiler-free zone, you'll have to wait until next week to find out what it is.

Thank you, thank you, Aunt Laurie for sharing this Gma story. I am still laughing about it.

I can't believe December 1st is tomorrow. We need to get our Christmas tree this weekend. Our little apartment will smell so good!

After a week off, I'm so glad this is new tonight. Seriously, WGA I need new episodes. And last week I couldn't believe this had jumped up to $285 in less than a day after bidding started and now it's at $370 (at time of publication). Crazy.

Off to do some lunch time shopping here! Rough life, I know.

I know most of you are going to hate this post, but come on, you know you love me. It's good to be back :)

I'm Alive

Shall we go for it! Hmmmmmm hmmmmmm hmmmmm hmmmmmm hmmmmmmmm oh oh I'm alive. Oh yes. I'm not even trying to keep with the Celine theme . . . that just came out.

So the person I least expected to say something mentioned how I haven't blogged in over a week. I know. November's been a bad blogging month for me. I won't bore you with what I have been doing, but suffice it to say it's been a busy month.

Thanksgiving was a blast. There is nothing better than chilling at home - family, sleep, food, movies, pumpkin pie, buying $5 movies at Target, On The Border, Moe's, Chick-fil-A, Mellow Mushroom, more movies in the theatre, "testing" and approving of the new hot tub . . . good times.

Wednesday I got a new phone!!! I was so excited to get rid of my razor since it's been nothing but problems for me for the past six months. I seriously wanted to smash it into a million pieces. I'm not quite sure why I didn't. Then we went to George and Laurie's for pizza in their pizza oven - delicious!

Thanksgiving was a great day. There were just over 20 of us at the table and passing in one direction is not a skill my family possesses. So Caisa decided to we try passing a new way - criss cross. Basically what ended up happening was everything was passed to Kelli, so the whole meal we kept passing everything to Kelli before the dish could go where it really needed to go regardless of whether that was the right direction or not. You probably had to be there, but it was quite hysterical.

One of many sister dog piles. Doesn't Kelli look so happy.


Caisa and Shannan and their romantic toast.


And since none of us are married so there aren't any in-laws or children to torture, we have fun with Lindsay's children. We had this huge tin of popcorn, and I told Brenner to try and put as much popcorn in his mouth as he could. It was hysterical - you could hear Lindsay screaming at me from across the room. Then I got him to grab the kitchen faucet, point it at Caisa and spray. There was water everywhere. Good times - especially since he goes home with Lindsay at the end of the night. (Is that bad of me?)


Friday we went to our traditional Thanksgiving weekend Thrashers game. We aren't really hockey fans. In fact if it wasn't in Miracle or Mighty Ducks, I don't know anything about hockey. But for some reason a few years ago we started going when everyone was home for Thanksgiving and it's kind of stuck.



And a trip home wouldn't be a complete without movies in the theatre. I finally saw Live Free or Die Hard (yes, even with waking up to Bruce I still hadn't actually seen the movie).

And of course we had to have a sisters night with VM favorite episodes marathon.

A fabulous and relaxing weekend with the fam. Part of me wishes I could wake up at 11, eat, shop and watch movies all day everyday. I can't wait to go home again for Christmas.

She reaches up

She brings it down. It was the most powerful thing . . . I've ever . . . seen. Here's a little flashback picture for your enjoyment :)


I'm slightly obsessed with the new Celine CD.

Spotted

Venturing south from the UES, S and Lonely Boy (although clearly not lonely anymore) shopping at the 7th on Sale sample sale at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lex and 26th. Shopping together on a Saturday morning - ah, young love. I guess S didn't get enough shopping in at the gala on Thursday.

xoxo Gossip Girl

Oh and while relishing in my sighting, you would not believe the deals I got! Is shopping for yourself this close to Christmas wrong? So wrong, it's right.

xoxo

2007 Sexiest Men Alive

People Magazine just announced its annual Sexiest Men Alive Issue. Matt Damon took home the top honor, and Patrick, Brad, Johnny, JT, James, Ryan - yes, we're on first name basis - are all there.

And, thank you, thank you, People for putting together this 100 Sexy Men in 1 Minute :)

JJJJJJJingle bells JJJJJJangle bells

You'll probably hear these words coming out of my mouth (and more than likely at the top of my lungs) over the next month or so. Sunday night I had the house to myself, and I busted it out for the first time of the season! I'm so excited.

On my way to work this morning I noticed that they've put the tree up in Lincoln Center and Rockefeller. There is garland around the window and doors at Bergdorf, Tiffany's and Cartier. I am so excited my commute takes me down Fifth Ave!

What's your favorite Christmas song? I'm finding most people are pretty passionate about their Christmas mix. Besides the classic "All I Want For Christmas" by Mariah Carey, what do you bust out in song to?

1 week and 10 hours until I go home!

Say Cheese

I love photography. In high school when I found my parents old Nikon collecting dust in their closet I begged them to fix it and let me take classes. And, of course, I got what I wanted. I loved discovering what I could do and what everything meant. After a while I took a darkroom class, and I liked that even more. Seeing the image come to life is amazing. But, when I went to BYU I was saddened to discover that the only photography classes offered were for photography majors.

This past weekend I went to DC for a quick visit. Proving that it’s easier to get to DC than Brooklyn, I finally went to see the Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 exhibit (It was organized by the Brooklyn Museum and opened there almost a year ago, but I never made it over to see the show.) Annie Leibovitz is known for her celebrity portraits; she’s worked for Rolling Stones, Vanity Fair, Vogue, numerous advertising campaigns, etc. Here are two of my favorites of her well-known photos.

Nicole Kidman for Vogue


She recently shot a series of celebrity advertisements for Disney. This is Scarlet Johansson as Cinderella fleeing the ball.


Two of my friends, Karen and Mel, are taking a photography class right now. I must admit every time I hear them talk about it I get jealous. I miss it. I gave my Nikon N80 to my little sister so she could take a photography class, and well, I never use it because it requires me developing film! Maybe one day I’ll breakdown and buy a DSLR, but I just found out some exciting news. I get to loan a Nikon D40 for a little while! I’m so excited!

And while I'm sharing celebrity photos I love here are two more.
I can't find the original shot that I love from this - the one I like is in black and white and there are more flashes going off in the background. Now I realize I'll never be Angelina and Brad on the red carpet at Cannes, but there is something I just love about this shots from behind with all the lights and the sexy, romantic arms crossed pose. Maybe one day I'll stage a bunch of photographers for a shot like this :)


And this one is technically a screenshot, but I still love it. Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is one of my favorite spots in the city, and I love this shot looking through the arcade - especially with the misty rain in the background.


One day I'll take a class again. Now I'm just waiting for my D40 to show up!

Warmth From Him

I have a feeling this next statement is going to get quite the reaction, but, well, it’s true.

I think I’m done with The Office.

After watching the hour-long episodes this season, I think there is such a thing as too much Office. Even the last few half-hour episodes. Now don’t get me wrong I still love PB&J, but I don’t think I can suffer through just for some jam.

And then this week the TV rumor mill is reporting that The Office is reportedly looking to expand into a spin-off series. Seriously! Just because Grey’s and Private Practice made it work have the networks really resorted repeating series that work (aka get ratings which in turn get advertisers which in turn mean dollar signs). Unlike the Grey’s/PP plan though, reportedly none of The Office original cast members would end up in the new series, but a special episode introducing a number of new characters would take place (and serve as a pilot for the new series). If I can’t take an hour of The Office, can NBC really end up with two good comedies? And, barring an unlikely last-minute deal, Hollywood's film and television writers will probably go on strike within the next couple of days. So this could affect not just the shows on right now, but what we see next season too (like easy spin-offs instead of unique new pilots).

We’ll see. For now The Office will stay on the DVR, but I don’t think I’ll be turning in on Thursday nights.

But, Jim (Office or no Office) will always have a place in my heart. Thank you Gap, thank you - I'd take some warmth from him.

Happy Halloween

For as much as I love pumpkins and Fall, I don't actually like Halloween. I don't do scary movies, and I guess dressing up little kids can be fun and all, but adults - really? We all know it's just an excuse for woman to wear as few clothes as possible. Dressing up is not my thing. In the past few years my Halloween outfits have consisted of: 80's girl (yoga pants and an old sweatshirt I cut), Pink Lady (aka pink shirt, black skirt), Masquerade girl (black dress with an opera mask) and last year I think I just let Heather do some fun make-up. See not big on the dressing up thing.

So this year, once again, I went all out. It started out going the country girl route. Karen did a French braid in my hair, (Which side note, I really miss having my hair braided. My mom used to do it quite often, and I wish I was talented enough to do it on my own hair. But, considering I was in 7th grade before I could even put my own hair in a ponytail, I don't think enough practice will take place to actually see that happen.) and I added some freckles to my face (in case I don't have enough!). When Karen asked if I had a plaid shirt my response was, "Now why on earth would I have a plaid shirt. I'd never wear that." :) So I ended up putting on jeans and a normal shirt.

So, what was I for Halloween this year? I was Girl with Freckles.



Happy Halloween!

A Pumpkin Piefest

Clearly, I love pumpkin. (and according to my family and friends, I say “clearly” a lot too) This weekend was a pumpkinfest at my house. I was in the baking mood on Saturday, and in need of a pumpkin treat, so I made a pumpkin pie.

I had two little (probably about 6 lbs) pumpkins that I cleaned, cut, gutted, roasted and pureed. That nasty stuff you get from a can doesn’t come close to fresh pumpkin. I tried a new Martha Stewart recipe instead of my classic pumpkin pie recipe, and it was good. I’m a little impatient, and maybe I burned my tongue on the pie because I couldn’t wait for it to cool. After eating a little bit I went in the kitchen to clean up and realized Karen and I had single-handedly finished off half of the pie - before it was even cool! Oh, and don’t worry, we finished the rest of it Sunday after church. And I have about three cups of pumpkin puree in the freezer just waiting for my next treat.



Pumpkin Pie
Pie crust (prebaked)
1 ½ cups pumpkin (about a 4 pound pumpkin if fresh)
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, eggs and evaporated milk in a large bowl; whisk until combined.
Pour pumpkin mixture to pie shell. Bake until all but the center is set, 50 to 60 minutes. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack.

exult = rejoice

You know how I became addicted to Celebrity Faceoff - well I just found a new addition.

Warning: This game may make you smarter. You may find yourself racking your brain over which answer to choose. You may actually help someone while sitting on your bum procrastinating.

And this one is actually good! Good for me and good for others. It's called Free Rice. Basically it's a vocabulary quiz (I'm a nerd, I know), but for each word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations to help end world hunger. A word is shown, and there are multiple choice answers. Click on the answer that best defines the word. If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.

I'm not a big vocab person (as Mrs. Finch and my other English teachers can attest to), but for some reason my competitive nature comes out and I love trying to figure out the words. Again, nerd, I know.

48,723,340 grins of rice were donated yesterday. I've already helped donated 200 today.

Fall Back

I'm kind of obsessed with time. At work I check the clock on the bottom right side of my computer screen all the time. I know this a problem, but I work in a fast-paced, deadline driven work environment - and well, it's necessary.

This morning I arrived at work as usual at 8:30 am I started working and was feeling particularly productive for a Monday morning. The next thing I knew, I looked down at my clock and it read 8:54 am. What! I had something due at 10, and I was so glad I had finished it just in time, but really - there was no way it had only taken me 20 minutes. The next thing I know my supervisor is standing at my desk asking if I was ready for our 10 o'clock meeting. I was very confused. And then it dawned on me - My computer still thinks last weekend was daylight savings time! Even though President Bush thinks he can just sign an act and change time, my computer doesn't.

Basically, I hate our help desk, so I've just decided that instead of spending 20 minutes on the phone with them where they may or may not fix the problem to just wait and suffer through this week and wait until the clock is right again next Monday. And, yes, I've tried to change it manually. I've tried to change it so it doesn't recognize Daylight Savings Time. I've tried!

It's been driving me nuts all day. But then a good thing happened! I looked down at my clock and it read 4:35 pm. Ah, another hour and a half of this horrible Monday. NO! Wait, it's actually 5:35 pm. Happy day!