Babies in the Building!

So the other day I awoke the the tauntings of a crazy woman in the direction of something cooing gently in the other room. It sounded like an infant! I rushed from my bed to the living room only to find that yes! There was in fact a baby there! A little six-month-old baby girl, with the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen. She turned out to be the daughter of a friend of my roommate's, and she was looking after her for a while, so her friend could go car shopping.

It was a blast. I even got Matt to hold her, I melted at the sight. I've never seen him hold a baby in my life, and I've just decided that I need to get one for him to hold at all times because he has probably never looked so endearing.


Baby (Lillian) also got to explore the joys of Christmas, and kitties, at the same time! It was a truly magical moment that had to be captured.


Also, today Matt and I went for our Christmas dinner at the Royal Crown Revolving Restaurant, it was so much fun! We had the buffet, and definitely took advantage of it, I am aching from the eating! Just delicious, turkey, Spanish meatballs, pineapple chunks, cream of tomato soup that tasted like grilled cheese sandwiches, basil buns with creamy butter and cheese... Ugh! Christmas!
I just do not have many words today, just pictures to capture the absolute awesomosity of my week, stressful what with apartment hunting, but promising, and delightful! Christmas has really got me in a joyful mood, I just want to skip everyone I go. And to leave you with the same childlike joy, a picture of the bluest eyes you will ever see:


5 More Days 'til Christmas!


*just a note, please click the pictures to see enlarged versions!

Kitty Cat Craziness

So my cat completely mauled my tree.

And when you think of that, you think "Oh, well, a few ornaments are probably on the floor, maybe a branch or two missing at worst," but you have no idea.

Before repairing, I've taken the liberty of snapping a little shot of it to prove the destructive power of this crazy kitty.


Unbelievable, no?

Also, since he's just so darn cute, I took some pictures of him too.
He's such a blessing. An insane little blessing, but one none the less.


I just spent the weekend in the home town with my family. I got to spend some more time baking with Kit, man what a blast. The dough was pre-made so we just had to do the fun part (cutting and decorating!) We had such a great time, talking and laughing, and being Christmassy together. That's what she's there for, being Christmassy.

Everyone in my family devoured the cookies, by the way. My kid brother got home, bit one, and proceeded to state quite matter-of-factly, "I'm actually going to eat 12 of these right now. And then I'll eat whatever's left. I'm going to eat every cookie on this plate." He nearly did.

7 days 'til Christmas!

Old Friends, New Places

Went out with that same old friend again, for the sake of the blog and time we'll call her Kit. She's quite a gal, you know. Although I'm having a hard time believing that she actually enjoys my company, I realized. I mean, it's strange and bizarre, but I feel like a character from "Knocked Up" and that I simply can not accept someone's love, no matter how apparent. She says that she genuinely enjoys my company, and every time she does it boggles my mind; what could be so great about me, anyway?

We went out for ice cream at the Marble Slab, an absolutely to-die-for place with the most delicious gourmet ice cream I've ever had! They make all of their ice cream in the shop and you pick the flavour you want (ie: cheesecake, eggnog, swedish dark chocolate, birthday cake!) and then you pick what you want in it (ie: real reese's peanut butter cups, fresh raspberries, almonds, strawberries, smarties, gummie bears!) and they mix it up like dough on a freezing cold marble slab! It's pretty remarkable and so delicious. A little high on the $$ scale, but worth it in my books. Not for always, but definitely for sometimes!

I really enjoy talking with her though, it's such a new experience for me. I'm used to asking people how they're doing and then talking about that for a conversation, but she asks me how I'm doing, and then is actually interested! She even offers advice, I'm so not used to this! She's a really sincere, sweet, down-to-earth kind of gal, and I appreciate having her back in my life so immensely, that I probably should have gotten her a gold necklace for Christmas instead of a little jar of coffee. Needless to say, she liked it!

Thank you, sweetie.

Christmas DIY

So I've done my Christmas DIY for the year, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! I decided to make a friend of mine (and her mom) some Cappuccino Mocha Mix in a jar! It was a lot of fun to make, and turned out really aromatic and I'm sure will be delicious! I wrapped them in brown paper bags, and made little coffee cup tags out of a Christmas orange box and some hemp twine. They looked so cute! I really had fun, which was a present for me too, although, one of them turned out to have a bit more sugar than I might have liked. I'm sure that'll be just perfect for her, though!

Cappuccino Mocha Mix in a Jar

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Instant Espresso Coffee Powder
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/4 cups powdered nondairy creamer (plain, or irish cream)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together espresso coffee powder, cocoa, nondairy creamer, sugar and cinnamon. Store tightly covered.

ADD TO JAR:
A label that reads "For each cup of cappuccino, measure 4 tablespoons mix into a coffee mug and stir in 6 oz. of boiling water."

Makes 2 1/2 cups of mix.

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So now you can go home and make your own! I topped the jar off with some wrapping paper, and some yellow/gold ribbon. I decided not to combine the ingredients, because it looks so much prettier if you don't. But, on the label I made sure to mention that it should be mixed thouroughly before enjoying. Click the picture to enlarge it and read for yourself! I also added a little teaspoon, because, they're cute!

14 days until Christmas!

Scrum' in the Tum'!

I've accomplished my Christmas baking, and I strongly suggest that you all partake of it as well because it relieves stress, and every bit of stress you may have had gets transferred into the cookies so that whoever eats them gets your stress, and you seem even LESS stressed in comparison!

Not really, but they are delicious, and extremely festive, and you simply must try them. These are my own personal recipes, because I took the old ones and threw them out the window (I must say they definitely were not very good!) Mine however, are scrum' in the tum'. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Holly Buttons
(aka: Brown Nosers)

Original Recipe Yield 30 Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 30 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped
- 60 colourful candy coated chocolate balls

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
3. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
4. Shape into 30 balls and place each onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut buter cup into the center of each ball. As the chocolate melts, press it further into the cookies until just slightly risen above.
6. Place candy chocolate balls in twos ont he chocolate center to make them look like buttons!
7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Shortbread Supreme

Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 8-10 Min
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Original Recipe Yield 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
- 30 macaroons

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and flurry. Stir in flour by hand until the dough is smooth. Extra flour can be added if the dough is not stiff enough to roll out.
3. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven on a middle rack, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven.
5. While cookies are still hot, press a macaroon into the center of each. After a few minutes, press the half-melted macaroons slightly deeper into the cookies so the chocolate sinks into the dough.
6. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.

Holly Bunches

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In: 1 1/2 hours
Original Recipe Yield 20 Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (16 ounce) package large marshmallows
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon green food colouring
- 4 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
- A couple handfulls red candy-coated chocolate balls

DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the marshmallows, butter, vanilla, and food colouring. Mix in the cornflakes cereal.
2. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper, and decorate with red chocolate balls. Set aside and allow to cool.

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And there you go! There's my Christmas baking! The shortbread cookies originally didn't only come in stars, we did some circles too, but once we added the macaroons, they ended up looking a bit provocative, so those ones aren't quite as Christmassy, but equally as festive since they've been unofficially named "St. Nipple-las Cookies." Tehe - !

Merry Two-Weeks-Before Christmas Everyone!

A Poem For You, Mom

Consider times of tragedy
But food, your soul to nourish.
For in the deepest excrement,
The field doth fully flourish.

Don't fret o'er woeful circumstance,
Consider it the slightest.
For upon the tow'ring heap of shit,
The flow'r doth bloom its brightest.

Of lights, and fights, and other delights

So I haven't been feeling very bloggy lately. There's been some confusion in my family, and some concern about future endeavors, and a lot of crazy busy-ness, and it just has not felt like a blog week to me.

I got together with an old friend the other day and we had the most smashing time having coffee at a place called Stella's? Cafe? I can't remember exactly but that sounds about right. I had this amazing fruit crumbly masterpiece and a cappuccino and she had this amazing fried cinnamon bun. Must learn to make those, or order one next time.

We had a great time just talking, and going over what was new in our lives. We talked about family, and school, and work, and money, and boys. Silly boys. But what are best gal-pals for if not for chatting about boys? It really was refreshing and I came out of it feeling absolutely renewed. Thank you, love.

I also had another delicious treat yesterday in Polo Park, my boyfriend and I ordered this frozen, chocolate dipped banana with little nutty bits sprinkled all over it. It was divine! Another thing I must learn how to make! I couldn't believe how scrumptious and crumbly yum it turned out to be. We didn't get a lot of Christmas shopping done, though, which was our initial goal. Nevertheless, we did end up seeing "Australia" which really turned out to be a hit, despite its length. Really a pleasant surprise. Will be wanting to post a review of it soon, hopefully. Should I feel a slight on the bloggy side once again. I guess it all depends really.

Put up a Christmas tree and it glitters with the light in my heart, which is very little since all the lights I had was one multicoloured (I think intended to be outdoor) light string, and one string of lights made to look like little candles? Half of them don't work, but half do and they sparkle with the Christmas joy I try to conjure each and every day. Either way, the tree was an old one my mom gave me, the one we used growing up, which is nostalgic (and free!) and the lights are old ones a friend from work gave me to use, which are also sort of nice (and free!) so I think it turned out alright. She gave me some ornaments too, so, it turned out to be a pretty thrifty Christmas, I must say! So far, anyway.

I've done very little Christmas shopping so far, but I've done some, and I decided today that I'm going to do Christmas baking, because happy people do that, and I ambition to be a happy person on a regular basis so I'm going to give it a go. I'll even make double batches and freeze some, like mom's do. I'll be the most rambunctious Martha this world has ever seen! And I didn't even have to home-make any of my ornaments to do it, either! I'll be sure to post whatever recipes I end up using. That'll be a treat, as well.

I've also decided that come February time when my lease expires I'm going to be moving out back to my home town, where my heart is. I think it would be best for me, I think I'll be able to properly soldier through my day with that foundation beneath my weary dogs. My family is there, I'll be able to have people over to MY place and serve them dainties and tea, and have nice decor. I'll go to the gym on a regular basis (watch and see me pull that one off!) I'll be able to be more involved in my church, I'll be near all the things I've always known and I'll be safe and comfortable and happy, and I think it's the right move. So there that is.

And that's all that's new today. That's where I am, and that's where I hope to be for a while. Faking a smile long enough for it to become a real one, knocking into people for a laugh, renting movies even though I own two hundred of them, and baking Christmas cookies.

With my new hand mixer I bought today (Betty Crocker, very nifty!)