My First Very Own Christmas Tree!

This is the first time I've ever had my very own Christmas tree! My folks helped Amy and I get our trees with our dad's truck when they were up for Thanksgiving. Considering most of my ornaments are packed in a box at my parents' house, I thought it turned out well. Isn't it cute?!

On the First Day of Christmas...

Remember how I told you I was doing Sami's "12 Days of Christmas" swap? Well, I did, and it was so fun! I got a super fun package from Susan, who is obviously an amazing, thoughtful woman with really fun taste! :)

I had the best of intentions to take a photo every day of each item, but the truth is, the last six weeks or so my life has gotten away from me (more on that in an upcoming post). So I managed to take a photo on the 1st day...and then not again 'til the last! Oops. And then I realized I should have kept track of the order she sent them in so I could tell you about them...and I didn't. But the point is, Susan was a fabulous swap buddy and opening her little gifts each day after work was a treat! She was so thoughtful and sweet, and I really enjoyed her gifts. I hope she enjoyed the things I sent, too! (Thanks, Susan!)

So, without further adieu...

On the first day of Christmas, Susan sent me:

This beautiful, yummy-smelling kitchen soap! It's awesome! :)

The next four days (in no particular order), made up a little pedicure kit: a buffer, file, toe separators, and some gorgeous deep blue OPI nail polish (LOVE it!).

Next (I think) came a cute little bag, brown with sweet little white polka dots, with a variety of different scent samples (and they are heavenly!).

This was followed by a beautiful gold and black necklace (I can't wait until I have something fancy to dress up for and wear it!), and then super cozy socks (I love soft fuzzy things, particularly warm socks!). Then a book called, "Go Green, Live Rich," that I can't wait to read.

Next up, in homage to our mutual love of cooking and baking, she sent a Betty Crocker Holiday Cookie Recipe Book (these little books are my favorite!) and two adorable, old-fashioned Christmas cookie cutters, just like my mom used to have (these brought back such wonderful memories!).

The final gift she sent, for Day 12, was a GORGEOUS glass Christmas ball. It is a beautiful ornament and it will always be a lovely reminder of this lovely woman and our fun swap!

If you get a chance, you should totally check out her blog--she is a lovely, faithful woman (who rides her own Harley! Seriously, how awesome is that?!?), and she's always got wise things to say! :)

Thanks again, Susan, for being my swap buddy, and thanks to Sami (and Evelyn) for hosting this fun swap! It was a blast to participate in!

The Great Fudge Debacle.

My dad makes the most incredible fudge. Truthfully, my dad is basically a gourmet chef--everything he makes is unbelievably delicious--but fudge is one of his specialties. (If you don't believe me, ask April.) I've never even tried to make it, because let's be honest--when someone else can do it to perfection, why even bother trying, right? :) Well, this year my folks came up to Portland for Christmas, so my sister and I were doing most of the goodie making for the family, and we decided a batch or two of fudge was definitely in order...despite the fact that neither one of us had ever tried it.

Now let me back up for a minute. About a week before our big baking extravaganza, April and I were on the phone. For years and years and years she would come over to our house around Christmastime and she always loved my dad's fudge. So much so that, the winter she was pregnant with her oldest boy (and I mean like 7 1/2 months pregnant), despite the fact that her parents were on a mission and not home that year, she talked her husband into making the very snowy, somewhat treacherous journey home for Christmas anyway to get some of his delicious fudge. (She SAYS it was to see me and some of her family, but I'm pretty sure I know the truth! ;) Love you, April!) I always try to send her a care package with fudge if we aren't going to see each other around the holidays, but this year, I didn't know if my dad would be making fudge. So when we were on the phone, she told me she had found my dad's fudge recipe, and she had finally decided she was going to attempt it....until she started looking into it further. She told me she had done some research online to get some tips for making fudge, and found out that fudge fails A LOT. Like more than 50% of the time. And usually it's because it fails to set up properly. So then she got intimidated and decided to abandon the fudge mission.

The night before the big baking day, when my sister announced her intention to try making fudge, I filled her in on April's findings. She said, "Dad makes it every year and it's never failed. It can't be that hard!" Little did we know...

Baking day came around. We had several projects going at once, but Amy decided it was time to attempt the fudge-making. She grabbed the recipe and started gathering ingredients...only to discover we had mistakenly purchased sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. Oops. Strike one. (That's what we get for shopping without the recipes! Although, come to think of it, we actually had that recipe with us...oops.)

A quick trip to the store later, attempt # 2 was underway. Amy started putting ingredients into the pan, and suddenly her friend Julie and I heard, "Oh s#*%!" Apparently her hands were working a little too quickly and she had dumped in twice as much evaporated milk as the recipe called for, so with a little quick thinking, she decided to double the batch. (My dad told us later he's never had much success doubling the recipe...that would have been good information.)

She said she didn't know if the pan she was using would be big enough for a double batch, but decided to carry on anyway. (Strike 2.) A few moments later, as she was madly stirring and watching the thermometer, Julie and I heard, "Oh s#*%! There's a fire!" Apparently the saucepan she was using had started leaking out of the grommets that hold the handle on, and when the syrupy concoction hit the burner, there was fire. Eeeeek! We tried to wipe off the outside of the pan, but the heat and stickiness made it pretty difficult. Nevertheless, she carried on.

After a few minutes, as the beginnings of fudge started to grow with the heat, we again heard, "Oh s#*%! Quick! Get me a bigger pan! It's going to overflow!" I hurriedly rummaged through her cupboards and found a large pan and gave it to her. She quickly dumped the contents of the saucepan into the bigger pan with an, "Oh s#*%! It burned me!" Then we heard, "Oh s#*%! I spilled it! There's another fire!!" In her hurry to transfer from one pan to another, she had spilled a little bit of the hot mixture onto herself, which then caused a little more to slosh onto the stove, and voila, another fire!

We quickly put the fire out and she resumed the temperature watch. Two more burns and one more "Oh s#*%!" later, it finally got up to the right temperature and Julie quickly helped her add the rest of the ingredients and got it poured into the pan.

Amy announced that making fudge was the worst idea EVER, and when she called our family to tell them about it, she said it was the most dangerous thing she'd ever done. Julie and I laughed hysterically about the whole thing, and I sent April a text saying something like, "6 curse words, three burns, and two fires later, we completed our first attempt at making my dad's fudge."

Her response? "Yeah...but did it set up?"

Yes, ma'am. Our first attempt at fudge = SUCCESS! :)

Kids, don't try this at home. ;)

Christmas Windows!

When school's not in session, work is pretty slow. :)

This is what I've been doing at work this week:

Merry Christmas, Everybody! :)

Happy Birthday, Miss Olivia!

Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet, beautiful goddaughter,

Olivia Rose Remien! :)

Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter? :)

I love this girl!!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Last week, my awesome friend Chelsea posted the recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies on her blog. She said they were AMAZING and also said that everyone needed to make them. I decided to take her advice (since she always has great taste in everything) and we made them at our Holiday Baking Extravaganza. And she was totally right...they are soooooo good. So in case you need to add a little holiday cheer to your life, here's her recipe (thanks for sharing, Chels!):

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour ---- NOT GLUTEN FREE!
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Cherries, drained and reserve juice

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients. Dough will be stiff (I had to knead it by hand to get everything mixed because it was too stiff to stir!).

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, push one cherry into the center. Let them cool, then frost.

Frosting:

6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cherry juice (see above)

Melt chocolate chips with milk over low heat. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until smooth. Frost the cookies while frosting is warm. It will set up as they cool. I also addded sprinkles to make them a bit more festive!

Thanks again for the recipe, Chels--they were a huge hit! :)

Domestic Goddesses, the Sequel.

Last weekend, my sister and I decided to bust out the holiday baking. We made, in no particular order: peppermint patties, chocolate covered cherry cookies, fudge, cinnamon bread, apple cinnamon bread, peppermint bark, peppermint bark hearts, and mini cheesecakes. I might be missing something in there. The point is, we ROCKED the holiday baking! :) Everything turned out beautifully and it has all been super delicious. (Our co-workers have seriously enjoyed sharing in these treats.) And Amy's sweet friend Julie stopped by to help out and get in on the fun. :) Thanks for coming, Julie! And thanks for hosting, Meem!

Advent!

I love Advent! The weeks leading up to Christmas are so fun, with the hustle and bustle of the season, thinking about ways to brighten the lives of the people we love, the sights and sounds and smells, beautiful music--I love everything about it. I think the madness of singing in HiLites during Christmastime in high school cemented that for me--running around doing sometimes as many as six or seven performances in a day and seeing the faces of the kids and adults alike as we danced and sang was something I truly, truly loved. I treasure those memories.

But the time leading up to Christmas is also a time to slow down, take some quiet time, and reflect on the many blessings we've been given, the greatest of which shows up as a tiny baby in a manger just a few days from now. I have been SO blessed, particularly in this last year. You all know it's been an enormously difficult year or so for me, but these last few months have been incredible. And you know, I wouldn't trade the tough times for anything, because looking back I realize how much I've learned and grown from everything. So this year, those are some of the blessings I've been reflecting on for this Advent season. This last week or two is supposed to be a time of great joy, and judging by the smile that rarely leaves my face these days, I think I've been properly observing Advent. :)

So I wish you all a joyous and happy last few days of Advent! May you get a few minutes each day to stop, breathe, and remember how incredibly blessed we are. And know that I count each and every one of you among my greatest blessings.

Post note: when I worked at St. Anthony's in Forest Grove a few years ago, you might remember me talking about running a huge, crazy event on the first Sunday of Advent (four Sundays before Christmas) called, appropriately, "The Advent Event." It was a ton of work and giant pain in the neck for me, but one of the coolest things about that event is the chance to make an Advent wreath. Members of the congregation bring in tons of fresh greenery from their yards and people can make their own wreaths for their homes. I've tried to go out for it every year since I left to visit and say hello and make a wreath. The photo at the top of this post is the wreath I made this year! They made fun of me because I took a long time to make it, but I am so proud of it--I think it turned out beautifully!)

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake

Do you need a new dessert recipe for Christmas? Well, do I have one for you! It's totally not that hard to make and it is unbelievably decadent (and not the slightest bit good for you! Which is okay at the holidays, right? :) I know, I know...). I made it for my family for Thanksgiving (soooo good!) and they loved it! (And truthfully, I've made it a couple other times and it has been a huge hit every time.) This is a Pioneer Woman recipe, which means it's amazing. You can link to her post HERE.

(Just a couple tips: I left out the pecans because I'm allergic, but I'm sure it's delicious with them. Also, I used neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese because it's a lot better for you, and it turned out just fine. And did you know you can crush cookies in a blender? Thanks to my lovely sister for that time and labor-saving tip!)

Didn't it turn out lovely? Just as delicious as it is pretty!

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake

Ingredients

• FOR CRUST
• 12 ounces, weight Storebought Gingersnaps
• ½ cups Chopped Pecans
• 6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 dash Salt
• _____
• Filling
• 4 packages (8 0z. Packages) Cream Cheese
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 can 15-ounce Pumpkin Puree (NOT Pumpkin Pie Filling)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Allspice
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 1 jar (about 12 Oz.) Caramel Topping
• Extra Chopped Pecans
• Extra Crushed Gingersnaps

Preparation Instructions

For crust:
In a food processor (or large ziploc bag) crush gingersnps. Add chopped pecans, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt, and pulse (or mix) until thoroughly combined. Press into bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Chill for 20-30 minutes.

For filling:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and spices and mix again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each addition. Add cream and mix until just combined.

Remove crust from fridge. Pour 1/2 jar of caramel topping on crust. (This can be omitted. See note below.) Sprinkle caramel with chopped pecans. Gently pour cheesecake filling into pan. Even out the top with a flat spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until no longer soupy. Cheesecake should still be somewhat jiggly.

Cool on counter for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, pour the rest of the caramel topping over the top. Smooth with a flat spatula until evenly smooth. Cover and chill cheesecake for another four hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, remove rim from pan and slice. Sprinkle each slice with extra crushed gingersnaps.

Note: I’ve heard from several folks that they wound up with a rock-hard crust when they followed this method. While I’d made the cheesecake several times and had never gotten this result, I’ve determined that the brand of both the gingersnaps AND the caramel sauce can drastically affect the consistency of the crust. You can easily omit this step and still wind up with a delicious cheesecake, so feel free to leave it out. You could also decrease the amount of caramel on the crust to mitigate the hardening effect.

Digital Christmas?

Okay...this is kind of awesome. :)

Pardon the Delay...

So, I know I was super awesome about posting there for a minute when I was telling you all about my disastrous dates. Disastrous dates are apparently great for frequent posting. Turns out really great dates are disastrous for frequent posting. :)

You read that right.

I don't want to be sketchy, but I don't want to say too much just yet--it's still really early and I don't want to jinx it. Because so far, it's pretty fantastic. :) Soooooo...suffice it to say I have a new adventure in my life and it is lovely and sweet and makes me smile entirely too much. So please keep your fingers crossed and say some prayers for me that this will continue to go well. And if it does, I promise I'll share more soon. :)

Honestly, this all started sort of working out right about the same time I begged for your prayers before, so I know they work. Now I'm begging for you to continue them. Thanks for being so supportive and wonderful. Love you all so much!

(P.S. In case you were wondering...he's really cute. :) )

Everyday Inspirations

I just wanted to give a shout out to my adorable friend, Ashley, for her gorgeous blog she shares with her friend Angie! They post a little something every day to bring a smile to your face or an idea to your mind or...the possibilities are endless. They have recipes, quotes, photos, fashion, creative ideas--you name it. And every day is totally different. Check it out! :)

Everyday Inspirations

A Sigh of Relief.

So, GREAT NEWS! I have a job, at least through June, now. Well, it's my same job...sort of. Remember how I told you we lost all our funding at the end of September and that same day we found out we didn't get any of the new grants we'd applied for? Well, that day (Sept. 30) four of my co-workers were laid off (YIKES!!). We had all been told we should be safe through the end of February, but apparently things changed. So a few weeks ago I was told by my supervisor, "We're really working hard to try and keep you working past December." Umm...WHAT???!!!??? I don't mean to panic, but... Anyway, over the past two weeks, we've been awarded several smaller, local grants, which isn't super job security, but it is something. So essentially, as of right now no one else will be laid off. My two co-workers and I will be running programs at a particular school each (a major departure from the whole going to a different school every day thing we've been doing). I'll be at a Middle School in Oregon City, doing case management for at-risk kids and running an after-school program. I'll still be doing all the faith-based programs for our company as well, in addition to trying to continue doing our in-school (different school every day) programs. What that means is that my life is probably going to get LOTS crazier (which is hard to do at this point, since we have the same number of programs as last year with one third of the staff to do them, and we're adding three full-time programs to that load!), but the grant I'll be working for is good through June (at which time they have to reapply). So the good news is, I don't have to start the new year out looking for a new job (Thank You, God!!!), and I should be good, at least until June. Praise the Lord!

GU Night at the Children's Museum!

A couple months ago, my sweet college friend Theresa emailed me. She lives about an hour and a half from Portland with her husband and beautiful little girl, and I've had the opportunity to see her a couple times since I've been here. Gonzaga was planning a Family and Friends night at the Children's Museum, and she asked if I would be interested in being a part of their family for the night so we could hang out! (So sweet!) I thought that sounded like a blast, especially since I hadn't had the opportunity to meet her husband yet. So the weekend before Thanksgiving, we met up for the event. It was such a fun evening! Theresa's husband is funny and kind and super intelligent, and it was fun to meet him and chat for a couple hours. And their sweet girl was hilarious to watch--she had SO much fun running around and playing and exploring everything. By the way, the Portland Children's Museum is pretty awesome--we adults had a pretty good time checking everything out, too!

Is she not the cutest thing ever?

Thanks for letting me join the fam that night, Theresa! It was SO great to see you, meet your wonderful husband, and play with your darling daughter. Love you guys!