Oh a hunting we will go

Here we go, on our adventure. I suppose venturing out into the forest would be much more adventurous, but never-the-less the Christmas Tree Farm is good enough for us city dwellers.

We decided that we would go and cut down our tree. I, of course researched what was the best type of tree to cut down, which one would last the longest and of course smell amazing.  It seems like firs have the best scent and that a concolor fir would last the longest. Unfortunately when we got to the tree farm they stated that they only had about 12 of those trees left. So, instead I decided  to trek down another tree.  We ended up with a balsam fir, after much hunting for the "perfect" tree.  We aren't very tall people and with a step stool I can just barely reach the top. 

 

Pulling while Gary saws away.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

We went with our good friends, John and Jenna, our trees were not far away from each other.  We did however both underestimate how wide our trees were. Out in nature they look so small.....

Family photo opportunity prior to cutting it down.

It took Gary and John awhile to saw down those trees.  I think the saws that they provided have been dulled by the many uses. 

Gary and John working diligently to cut down their tree. 

I had to buy a lot more ornaments at my favorite arts and crafts store, Michael's. We, of course has none except, our special ornaments. Gary and I have gone to NYC every Christmas and have since 2002.  We usually buy a special ornament from Sax or Bergdorf - it's about the only thing that we can afford there, but it's now part of our tradition....can you tell that I love traditions?! Gary has also begun to buy me a special Hallmark ornament each year, which I dearly treasure.  So, almost a week after buying our tree it is finally officially complete!

Ta-da!

Apparently the animals also enjoy the beauty of the tree, or maybe the just feel like they are outside. Thankfully, no one has tried to climb it and or pee on it.

It's the most wonderful time...

In case you weren't aware, I am a big fan of the Christmas season.  I love the lights and the red and green colors and.....now I finally have a house house, so to speak which I can decorate to my hearts content.  Well without going overboard.  I love that the city is being decorated for Christmas. It in no way can compare to NYC, but, as Patrick Stump says, "This City, is my City."

This picture is from Union Station. They have 3 huge wreaths hanging up out front. I love how many lights adorn it.  

Here are our decorations. :-) We have stairs! Which means I get to decorate the banister with my lit garland. I can't decide whether or not I want to put up Christmas stockings, will it be too much?

 We have lots of windows, well 5 in the front and I've always wanted to hang wreaths on the windows. I made the bows all by my self, no pre-made ribbons. Let's just hope that they stay together. I also wired on the little decorations.  I didn't create them, but my good ol' friend Michael's did:-)

Michaels and I have become good friends(the arts and crafts store).     We don't have a dining room table yet, so I can't buy table cloths or center pieces, yet...don't worry, it will come.  My one friend has inspired me to be a little more crafty this season and do some DIY projects.  I originally purchased wooden letters (N-O-E-L), which I would paint and then hang on ribbons, but I couldn't figure out a place to display them, so instead I bought some canvas and some acrylic paint and voila! I'm excited to paint more! It is kind of therapeutic.

We also have a little Christmas tree that used to be our only Christmas tree, but this year we'll get the real deal. My mother decorated it all up, she's super crafty. 

And....of course I can't decorate without my poinsettia.

We have a front porch too. I got a whole bunch of Christmas tree branches from the hardware store and started to make my own garlands.  I'm waiting for my mother to come to help me out a little more. Hopefully she can work her artistic magic.  I also have a TON of lights that I purchased from Target to use on the porch.  AND.....Sunday we are going to start a new tradition and cut down our first Christmas tree. I've been doing my research.  We're going with our good friends, Jenna and John. I'll post pictures of our adventure.  

Traditions

Unlike my husband who can blog almost every day, I struggle.  It isn't that I don't have things to say, because I am quite a fascinating person:-)  It's just that I lack time.  With the whole Holiday season upon us I was baking and cooking almost every night, as well as doing last minute Christmas shopping and wrapping of gifts, mine and wrapping Gary's to give as well.

For some reason without fail before every vacation I get sick, Thanksgiving, I was sick and now Christmas and I am sick.  It could be because I assume that I will have tons of time to sleep in, so therefore I can now stay up late and let my health slip.  Apparently being around kids most of my days has caused my immune system to go wacky.  I don't usually pick up my kids illnesses, but before a break, you better believe I will come down with a cold of sorts.  With traveling, visiting friends and family and being sick I just haven't had a lot of time to blog.

I am a huge fan of traditions, well certain traditions, ok mostly traditions started by myself.  Every Christmas for the last 7 years or so one of my best friends, my husband and myself get together to exchange gifts and eat at Olive Garden.  Who doesn't like unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks?  We meet, engorge ourselves and unwrap gifts, some slightly more humorous than others.   Meg (my bestie) and Gary have a fun relationship.  They've known each other for 11 years, since our freshman year of college and I've known Meg since 3rd grade (you can do the math).  Gary and Meg are more like brother and sister, which is great, because who doesn't want their best friend and husband to get along so well?  This year, however, with traveling up to NJ before Christmas we couldn't stop at Olive Garden, much to my dismay, instead we went to The Cheesecake Factory.  Now, one cannot  complain about this place, I mean who doesn't love yummy food and of course, Cheesecake?! 

The hustle and bustle of Times Square

Someday I will stay here at The Plaza....someday.....

This is close to being as good as Italian Pizza

Another tradition that I love is one that Gary and I started our sophomore year of college: we go to NYC every Christmas.  There is nothing better than going to NYC at Christmas time, yes the cold can be pretty harsh and the crowds unruly, but truly, I LOVE IT!  In the past we used to go up a few weeks before Christmas and actually try and do our Christmas shopping there, that was a little much.  Now we go in and just walk around.  We usually go to Macy's, Times Square, 5th Ave (of course, I drool a little), Central Park, Saks and the tree at Rockefeller Center.  We always get nuts from those little Nuts 4 U stands, roasted almonds and as we are leaving the city I always get roasted chestnuts.  Some other favorites are Carnegie Deli- Nom Nom! and Grimaldis down under the Manhattan Bridge (DUMBO). If you are looking for good, sorry no Great NY style pizza than go there. It's a walk, but you get to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and there are some great views from there. 








We've also bought a Christmas ornament in NY every year, usually we buy one from Saks, it's pretty much the only thing we can afford there, but then at least we get the snazzy snowflake bag.  We have also started going over to Bergdorf Goodman to buy ornaments, let's just say some day we will have a very expensively decorated Christmas tree.  However, until we get a bigger place the ornaments will just have to stay neatly packed away in their beautiful boxes.

I also want to make it tradition now to read the Christmas story together Christmas Eve, if we go to Christmas Eve service than I want to make sure as a family we read it together on Christmas day.  It is after all the whole reason for Christmas, not just the red and the green and the giving and receiving.  My first year teaching one of my students said "the best gift that we get at  Christmas is that Jesus came." Couldn't have said it better myself kid....brought a tear to my eye and joy to my heart.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Christmas Cookie Exchange

Hobby of the day: Baking

Every year the book club that I am in has a Christmas party at the host of the month's house.  The Christmas party fell on my month. Score!  I didn't have to pick any books since we all bring a wrapped book to exchange and or steal.  This year I also included a cookie exchange.  As we know, baking is a huge hobby of mine.

A cookie exchange is where everyone brings their favorite cookie, several dozen and then we all get to choose from the variety an deliciousness and walk a bunch of new cookies. Let's just say, we all know why we make New Year's Resolutions. Christmas is not a very forgiving holiday.

I made white chocolate chocolate cookies:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar ( I used half white and half brown sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

A friend made amazingly delicious thumb print cookies!!! I could eat them for breakfast, oh wait, I  did. :-)  Easy Recipe

Ingrediants:                                               

Thumb Print Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 - 1.5 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose sifted flour

Jam of your choice

2 cups (or more chopped walnuts)

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract.

2. Sift Flour. Gradually add flour until dough forms a ball.

3. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Roll into 1-in. balls. Roll in walnut mixture. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Make an indentation in the center wtih your thumb. Dont flatten them at all as the jam will leak out. Fill with jam.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal

Chocolate Chip

Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey Kiss

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge

Jingle All the Way 8k

Last weekend my husbands and friends ran the Surfin Santa 10 miler down in Virginia Beach.  

This weekend I decided, "Why not try and also do the Jingle All the Way 8k in DC." I told Gary that he didn't have to run with me and tried to convince my other friend to run with me.  I have apparently become addicted to runs.  I have been told not to call them races since I will most likely never win, nor am I really competing for a prize. Those people are insane.  They run in 34 degree weather in tiny shorts and tank tops, maybe even sports bras.  I don't do that even in just hot weather. These are also the people who run 15 min 5ks and 24 min for their 8k. Wow! I don't even pretend to know what that's like. 

Cute Shirts!

I didn't sign up online so I had to go the pick up area and sign up.  I flew out of school at 2:00 hoping that I would make it to there before 3:00.  I got there and signed up.....then some nice lady was offering 10$ gift cards for some Mexican Restaurant if we just called a friend and asked them to run.  I said, "sure, why not?"  So I called up my friend and asked her if she changed her mind on the race, she said, "Yes."  So I signed her up. Win Win!

The race was at 9:00 am.  Apparently I miss timed it. We got to Union Station to metro to the starting line and found out that the trains were sharing tracks and of course running late.  So, I suggested taking a taxi which we NEVER do.  No DC taxis take credit cards apparently, so we had to get cash. Roads were closed so it took us a little while to get there.  I was nervous, but I also know that we wouldn't be starting in the front so it just matters that we cross the start to start the timing. The race did not start on time.  

Made these for our hair

There were however so very cute costumes.  I saw a bunch of penguins, of course your typical Santa and reindeer.  I saw some very cute toy soldiers too.  I was not dressed up for the 10 miler.  I got myself and Jenna hair ribbons and super cute fake fur socks, red with white polka dots.  Lots of people were wearing the super cute Christmas socks from Target (pronounced tar jay)  Shout out to Target!

Jenna and I think run at about the same pace. Gary, my husband runs much faster and we usually don't run together at all.  It was an interesting course. A lot of lops and whatnot.  The water station wasn't very well manned and a little chaotic. I don't think that they had enough volunteers.  The water was literally being poured into some people's cups.  

My New Running Buddy!

As we running down Pennsylvania Ave towards the finish, which I could see they directed us down another road only to loop back up. Good thing I hadn't started sprinting to the finish.  When we finally did see the finish I did sprint to the end. Thankfully Gary was kind enough to grace us, so early and cold in the morning, with his presence.  He took some pictures for us. Thanks Love! 


We finished the 8K at about 53 min which is about a 10 min pace.  

Next Race: Rock n Roll half DC in March. Let the preparation begin!