Twilight Christmas Spoof

Mariana sent me a link for a Twilight Christmas spoof. Funny stuff! To see the full screen version click on the link below.

http://www.take180.com/s/ep5l7

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

My Christmas tree was in a woeful state at the beginning of the month. Last year, as I packed away our Christmas ornaments, I packed a separate box for Madison's ornaments as I knew she would be needing them for her own home, sooner or later. So, this year my tree looked a bit bare and needed some umph. I turned to my friend Meredith, who is an awesome decorator, and she came to my rescue. We spent time at WalMart and Target, selecting the right additions to what I already had. When we got back to my place, she showed me how to decorate a tree step by step.

Decorating a Rockin' Christmas Tree

1. Have husband put up Christmas tree (this is my step, but I bet she does the same thing)

2. Put lots of lights on.

3. Take ribbon (must have wire edges), starting at the top, and secure it in sections with the tree branch (only works on fake trees). So, it's like this: secure the beginning of the ribbon by bending the end of a tree branch over the ribbon, then take a finger spread width to another branch and secure again. You will have bumps of ribbon going down the tree in a diagonal direction.

4. Place all the filler ornaments. These are the WalMart ornaments that add depth (place them inside the branches) and color.

5. Place all your personal, special ornaments.

6. Place any picks you have. I have silver poinsettias, red flowers and red and silver pine cones. (Fill holes).

7. Place additional ornaments, if needed. I purchased some ornaments that are glittery and dangle. Also, some that were the shape of snowflakes. These add dimension.

8. Cut bead garland in 10 inch sections and drape the garland around the tree. Filling and emphasizing.

My tree is sooooo pretty. It sounds like a lot of stuff (I guess it is), but it just pops in so many ways and is fun to look at. Randy wasn't so sure about the idea at first, but loved the final look. Come over if you want to check it out. Especially what I mean by the ribbon.

Amazing Peanut Butter Clusters

So I have this rockin' friend named Meredith who can do all sorts of things and is utterly amazing. She is one of the kindest people I know. She "hired" me for an internship position at SAMC when I was at CSUFresno and taught me so much while I was there. Anyway, I was at her CUTE house the other night for a purse party and she had a delish spread on hand for our enjoyment. One of the yummies was Peanut Butter Clusters. This is a perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter with a twist added. Try it you'll like it!

Peanut Butter Clusters

2 cups peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts (I used regular peanuts)
1 cup crushed ridged potato chips (ya, you read that right)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt peanut butter & chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in peanuts & potato chips. Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen.

Christmas Enrichment

Our Christmas Enrichment took place at the Maxwell's home, which was beautifully decorated with pine garlands and accented with red poinsettias, a perfect backdrop for the homey attmosphere I wanted to create for our special evening. We asked the sisters to bring a favorite dessert and there were too many to choose from! Renita started the program with a Native American Christmas song sung a Cappella. Her voice was just beautiful. We followed that with carols sung with chimes, led by Ina & Marilyn. I was able to introduce next year's Enrichment calendar and hand out bookmarks that Marianna designed, which lists all of the Enrichment dates and topics. A fun surprise was to see Angie at the meeting as she no longer lives in the area. I am really grateful for the sisters who serve on the committee. I know I would not be able to do any of this without them.

The Little Lady Agency

The Little Lady Agency series begins with the title book, followed by Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince. I just finished the third book and have enjoyed the series. The first book takes place in London and as I am too tired to write a blurb, I will let you read what a professional wrote: Crackling with Brit chick wit, Browne's first novel stars a spunky whirlwind in search of love and money. Melissa, after losing her job as a London estate agent, starts the Little Lady Agency to attend to the social needs of single men. This requires Melissa to don a blonde wig and become Honey Blennerhesket, a posh "Mary Poppins in silk stockings." Running the new agency leads to the successful channeling of her inner glamour goddess and romance with Jonathan, but then she wonders, does he love Honey or Melissa? "Little lady" is a term that sounds as retro as Melissa's yearning for old-style romance, but her struggle to empower herself and deal with her feelings regarding the men in her life is as satisfying as free champagne. Browne's dead-on take revitalizes a genre already littered with worn-out Jimmy Choos and tattered miniskirts. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot | Williams-Sonoma

Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot Williams-Sonoma
I don't think you've ever seen a way to make hot chocolate like this before! The Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot will take your hot chocolate experience to a new level! Click on the above link to watch the video to see all it can do. This is going on my Christmas list along withWilliams & Sonoma's Rich & Creamy Hot Chocolate, which is not merely cocoa powder, but is shavings of premium chocolate! After watching the movie Chocolate, I am always trying new hot chocolates to achieve the euphoric level of hot chocolateness that you see in the movie and this contraption just might do it.

Formal Pictures

Spencer's Formal

The same night as my work party, Spencer had Winter Formal. He went with Jessica and they looked so cute! Jessica is 5'10", so with her high heels she's 6'. Very nice to have a very tall boy to go to formal with!

Just Say No to Stupid

Tonight Randy & I attended my work Christmas party that was held at Pardini's. We enjoyed a nice dinner followed by a raffle and dancing. It's always interesting to go to a party or event where people are drinking. The thing I have figured out is, if you are going to drink, don't drink so much that you are stupid. There's nothing worse than seeing a person make a fool of themselves in front of everybody. Not drinking does have its advantages. Not looking stupid is one of them.

Thanksgiving Day Photos

Emme & Carey Above - Me & Carley

Mom & Carley

We had such a nice Thanksgiving. On Sunday I set the table. On Monday I went grocery shopping. On Tuesday I made two types of stuffing and sweet potatoes. On Wednesday I made mashed potatoes and brined the turkey. So, Thursday I just rinsed the turkey, put it in the electric roaster, which I put outside on the work bench in the garage along with the mashed potatoes in the Crockpot. Simple! Got to hang out with family and play. I was having such a good time I forgot all about putting the sweet potatoes and stuffing in the oven until my sister reminded me! What a nice way to do Thanksgiving.

Christmas Photo

Christmas photo of the department heads at Hy-Pana, one of the skilled nursing facilities I doing marketing for.

Golfing Away the Time

I started golfing last year, but really started playing on a regular basis this summer. I can't believe how much I really love it. Golf is amazing. There are so many layers to it. Just figuring out the grip took me a long time. I love that there is always something to work on. When I first began, I had a hard time even putting. Now I can usually two putt. Of course, that is at Riverpark which has flat greens. The difficulty is stepped up once I am playing on a full course that has greens with a slope. A couple of Saturdays ago I played at Madera Muni. The day started out foggy. Weird hitting a ball and not seeing where it lands because of a blanket of fog, but the fog lifted and it ended up being a great day for golf.

Time Well Spent

I've been asked how can you read so much? How do you find the time? Well, I find the time because I work, I golf and I read. No, I really don't cook every day, I don't clean the house all the time and I grocery shop as infrequently as possible. I don't have little kids that I need to take care of. My kids are big and they should be able to take care of themselves with minimal input from me. Seriously, if you're a senior in high school and you can't manage yourself, how are you going to take are of yourself when you go away to college six months later? My husband is out of town three days a week, so I have plenty of time to indulge in what I like to do, which is reading, time well spent.

Twilight Revisited

Bev and I saw Twilight this week. I know, surprising after what I previously wrote. Madison told me she liked the movie and I thought I should give it another chance. Well, this time I liked it. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it. The voices in my head that were so vocal in telling me all the things that were wrong with the movie the first time I saw it were much quieter this time and I was able to enjoy the movie as a stand alone piece as opposed to it being just like the book. Brandy, we need to see this with Maddie when she comes home :O)

Denny & Izzie

I'm watching Grey's Anatomy as I'm typing this and am trying to figure out the Izzie/Denny situation. She's in the hospital "sex" room (seriously? they have a room where they do it) with Izzie going to town on him. Now, I don't mind Denny coming back at all. I think he's rather hot in a scruffy, big man kind of way, but I don't get where this is going and I have a feeling it's going to end up rather bad and it's bugging me.

Evernight

Evernight, by Claudia Gray, is a young adult book I recently finished reading. The main character, 16 year old Bianca, moves to Evernight Academy because her parents have accepted teaching positions at the academy and it is a way for her parents to force Bianca to branch out from her small town security. On the first day of school, Bianca meets Lucas and they develop a tumultuous relationship that develops until a pivotal moment when he discovers she is a... and she then she discovers he is a... It's a great book that will become a great series. The next book in the series, Stargazer, comes out March 2009. Check out Gray's website for more information and other books. http://www.claudiagray.com/books.htm

Fresno Adventure Boot Camp

In October I attended Fresno Adventure Boot Camp for women. The outdoor camp took place at Liberty Elementary school at 5:30 am, five days a week, and I loved it! The workout was intense, but so much fun. The hour flew by and we had such a variety of activities that I was never bored. I gained strength and stamina from the class. I can do 50 jumping jacks in a row, go ahead, try it, jump rope 50 times, squats, lunges and more. While I did gain strength, I didn't lose any weight due to me not keeping my piehole shut. Doesn't matter, because I'm exercising at the gym five days a week and it'll come off once I keep my mouth closed more than open.