A Christmas Tag

What's your favorite Christmas movie?
There's SO many good ones to choose from..  Here's a list of some of my favorites:

• Any Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer movie
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Home Alone
• The Santa Clause 
• A Christmas Story
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

*Also, my mom has made me a bit addicted to the Hallmark channel this time of year, so pretty much any Christmas program featured is a good one too.

Do you open presents on Christmas morning or Christmas evening?
Christmas Morning

Do you have a favorite Christmas memory?
Not really a specific one, but I always enjoyed when we'd go to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve and have a family get together and open a couple presents with all of my cousins. Then on Christmas morning we'd get up really early open presents, eat breakfast, and watch Christmas movies.. nothing to spectacular. 

What's your favorite festive food?
I don't know if I have a favorite, but my dad always gets assorted nuts that you have to open with a nut cracker. Otherwise my mom does a lot of baking and her Christmas cookies are to die for. 

What's been your favorite Christmas gift?
I don't know if I have a favorite. I enjoy every gift I receive, no matter who it's from or what it is, it's the thought that counts and quite honestly, my favorite 'gift' would be spending Christmas together with my entire family. Family is so precious and we tend to get so caught up in our lives throughout the year, that we tend to lose sight of what's most important. I think Christmas is the perfect time to get together and cherish all of the memories we have had together while creating new ones. 
I'd like to add a second part to this question: What is one gift you'll never forget?
One gift that I will never forget would probably be a sweater I received from my dad when I was entering middle school. My parents had just got divorced a year or two previous to this particular Christmas and my dad moved out of the smallest apartment ever, into a house of his own. I don't think my dad did much Christmas shopping when my parents were together; he probably let my mom take care of that. Since money was still quite tight we only received one or two gifts and one of them was this yellow sweater that had buttons that reached from the bottom of my neck across to my armpit. I still remember it being the most itchy kind of fabric I have ever worn, but that sweater had a lot of meaning in it. Thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes, because he tried his hardest to pick out something that I might like, and for a divorced father to go clothes shopping for his only daughter ... oh man, the feels I just incorporated.. I think it's time to move onto the next question before I start sobbing over these emotions I've kicked up.

What's your favorite Christmas scent?
Probably the classic apple and cinnamon scent; otherwise the smell of Christmas trees.

Do you have a Christmas Eve Tradition?
Not really... like I said earlier we used to go to my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve and all of my cousins would be there and it was so lovely. Unfortunately, we haven't done that since my grandma passed away. However, I do go to an evening service at my church, since my dad plays trumpet and they dim down the lights and pass out candles. 

What tops your tree?

The tree in my apartment - nothing.

The tree at my dads house - an angel either myself or one of my brothers made when we were young.

The tree at my mom's house - Not too sure, it was a star for the longest time, now I don't know what it is.

As a child, what was the one (crazy, extravagant) gift you wanted but never got?
I really don't remember which is a bummer because I'm sure there was a lot. . . It's okay Santa (mom & dad), I forgive you. 

What do you think is the best part of Christmas?
Being with family and loved ones. The Christmas programs are always a plus as well! They are so fun to watch and always put me in a festive mood. It brings us together as families and for some of us, this may be the only time we get to see certain people. I cherish the time spent with those I love and I think that it is important and a good reminder of how we need to appreciate what we have and who we have in our lives. Christmas is a time where we set our differences aside and think about one another. I find it important to think about those who might not even have a family to go home to or buy gifts for. I ask that you all think about these people during the holidays and try to spread a bit of holiday cheer, whether that be donating money/volunteering your time, buying gifts for those who are less fortunate, or even saying a simple "Happy Holidays" accompanied by a warm smile will make a difference; It's the small things in life that can make someone's day. 

With that being said I hope all have a wonderful Holiday season, and remember to be selfless; "It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it" - Eileen Elias Freeman

Much Love! Xx

Thanksgiving & Sugar Cookies

Coming home for Thanksgiving was nice timing since I desperately needed a break from school. Unfortunately, I still had to work, but it was great seeing a bunch of my old coworkers, and getting the chance to be at my home store that I helped open. I wasn't really planning on working two 9 hour shifts, but thankfully my old boss let me leave a bit early to spend time with my family. I don't think I will go back to work over Christmas break because I'd like to spend time with family, watch Christmas programs, bake, and focus on my blog and youtube channel. It's my favorite time of the year and I don't want to miss out on anything due to work. I can't remember the last time I actually got to properly watch a good portion of Christmas movies; I adore the hallmark channel and those abcfamily classics. Anyways, back to what I was saying; I didn't have as much time with my family as I would have liked to, but I tried to enjoy every bit of it. It was quite wonderful that my brother and sister-in-law drove up from another state to spend the weekend with us - what a treat! We spent all of Thanksgiving at my aunt's house just enjoying each other's company. I don't know whose idea it was, but instead of snacking all afternoon and feasting over dinner, we had a huge lunch and snacked throughout the night. Let's just say I felt like a blueberry ready to pop by the time we left to go back home. Unfortunately, I didn't get to snap pictures of our delicious looking food because by the time I got to the table, everyone was already digging in and enjoy every crumb that fell onto their plate. I don't blame them either, I mean, who can resist a volcano of mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and a giant 20+ pound turkey? 

Now that I live on my own I feel more like an adult and I felt the need to bring something for people to enjoy. Me being the flourishing baker that I am, I decided to make cookies. I had never made sugar cookies before, and I thought that they would be fun to make and something different. They were a bit time consuming since I didn't have any cookie cutters, but I managed. At first I thought they were a flop, but after letting them sit they actually turned out quite successful. The cookies are "lofthouse" style, which means that they are soft and will surely melt in your mouth. I guess you could basically call this a 'copycat' of the cookies you can buy at the store... SO GOOD!

If you'd like the recipe I'll leave it down below:

For the cookie:

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 eggs

4 teaspoons of baking powder

4 cups of flour

For the Frosting:

1 cup of butter, at room temperature

8 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

food coloring, optional

sprinkles, optional

Directions:
Step one: Cream the butter until light and fluffy, then add in the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until combined.
Step two: Add in the baking powder and flour. Mix well.
Step three: Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in saran wrap. I used a tiny bit of flour to help mold the dough into a ball, but be careful to not use too much and try not to knead the excess flour into the dough - it could potentially make the cookies dry.
Step four: Place in the fridge overnight, or let chill for several hours.
Step five: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step six: Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. When you get to your desired thickness, take your cookie cutter and start cutting out your cookies. I didn't have a cookie cutter, but I wanted triangle shaped cookies, so I used a knife to cut them out. Once your cookies are cut out, place them on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
Step seven: Pop them into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly brown. A good way to tell if they are done or not, is to look and see if the tops are glossy; if they appear to be wet, they are not quite done. You'll want to watch them closely because if you over cook them, they will turn out dry and hard.
Step eight: Set the cookies aside and prepare to make the frosting. Again, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, the milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add in the remaining powdered sugar until you've reached your desired consistency ( I recommend adding the entire 8 cups if you'll be piping designs onto your cookies). Lastly, add food coloring if desired.
Step nine: Pipe the frosting onto your cookies; you can also use a knife to spread on the frosting if you aren't as picky as I am.
*The recipe I used isn't mine; I got it from Classy Clutter's blog.

I tried to make them into mini pumpkin pie slices, but they didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped. However, they still tasted good and people enjoyed them, so that is all that matters. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope you ate lots of turkey! Also, I will be uploading a vlog on my youtube channel that will show me making the dough and snippets of my thanksgiving break; you can check that out here if you are interested.

Much Love! Xx

College | Growing up

When I was younger, I dreaded September; the end of summer comes to a close marking the beginning of another school year and hearing the NFL jingle on every TV, radio station, or mobile device - It literally made me sick, and I couldn't escape it. Growing up in Wisconsin my entire family were cheese heads. Literally, from eating cheese to wearing cheese. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about and/or think I'm crazy, the Green Bay Packers are our home football team. If that still doesn't make sense Wisconsin is the dairy land. I know what you're thinking, "No, California is, that is where happy cows come from",  but I apologize to be the bearer of bad news but you've all been lied to. If any of you have been through Wisconsin you know that the majority of it is farm land; miles upon miles of fields, tractors, and the smell of fresh cow manure.

September never failed to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Now, however, all of that has changed and the month of September is one of my favorite times of the year. Leaves start to change colors, cool weather settles in around you forcing you to bring back the jeans, sweaters, and scarves, even school has surprisingly made it onto the "favorite list". Actually, let's not push it; not yet at least. With a new year of school ahead of me I have had some time to reflect.

I remember when my brother left for college like it was yesterday. His first two years he stayed at home to attend a local two-year College campus that was literally 3 blocks away from our house. So of course there was no need to stay in the dorms when we lived so close. While he stayed busy there, I was making my way through high school. And then, fall of my senior year he left; on to bigger and better things. It broke my heart watching him leave but I was so proud of him. He was and still is my best friend. At that time I got a glimpse of what growing up feels like, but I didn't know what was to come until I myself, flew the coop. 

Growing up you really take advantage of your family's presence. You spend your teenage years almost hating your parents when they set rules into place: What time you need to be home on a school night, what events you can and can't go to, what things you can buy/how much you can spend on a particular item.  As the list grows bigger, so do their questions: Who are you going to be with? Have I met them before? Are these people good influences? What will you be doing? etc. You spend most of your days tucked away behind your bedroom door playing video games and buried in your smart phone. When you weren't hidden behind closed doors you were out with friends often missing dinner and sneaking in after dark.

You tell your parents to "go away" and "leave me alone" or "I'm busy, we'll talk later", but later never comes. In efforts to block out their desperate attempts for conversation you turn away and jam headphones into your ears; when they only wanted to ask how your day was. Their titles are stripped from "superhero" from your childhood days to "lame old people who try to be cool" in your new teenage years. Because heaven forbid, you can't be seen with your parents.

Time seems to escape us all. Soon even those days will be history. We are all in such a hurry to grow up, move away to college, get married, and have kids. But the minute you're all alone and mom & dad aren't there, you'll be wishing you didn't take them for granted. You'll regret not making time for them even if it was a couple minutes to talk about how your day went. You'll desperately wish you could turn back time to open your door and put down the phone, pull out your earbuds and interact with your family. Because when they pull away from your new home, whether it be a dorm room, apartment, or house, nobodies presence will be as fulfilling as mom and dads.

Remember: Just as you are growing older, so are they. Enjoy the little things in life, and take time to appreciate what you have.

This is for you mom and dad, I hope I will make you proud.