Observation Tuesday: Volume 9

First of all..WHAT? It's Tuesday again? I was just going to post some random blog and then I thought to myself, what day is it? and to my shock I realized it was already Tuesday. After a super relaxing holiday weekend filled with family time (family-in-law time?), I worked last night and ran errands all yesterday and then BAM! the week is gone.

So here are my observations:
1. Those cinnamon pita chips must be covered in crack because I am seriously addicted to them. I am not a huge chip eater but I went through this bag in about 12 hours. Seriously, pick a bag up asap. They might also be delicious with a cream cheese dip of some sort. I will try that next time I get some if I don't eat them all before I get home to the kitchen.
2. I love living in my new home. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying into a family I love. And the bonus that they love me enough to let me live with them.
3. I still don't really like Turkey. I prefer ham.
4. Always check the Target dollar bin. I went yesterday and got part of a craft project I'm working on for $1 when the same thing I needed was $5 at Wal-Mart. Beat that!
5. CHRISTMAS E-MAILS START TOMORROW. HOORAY! If you have any questions about Christmas you are dying to know the answer to, and are too lazy to google it yourself leave me a comment and I will answer it in my e-mails!

Guess what??

It's officially the Christmas season! My favorite time of the year. Which means my annual Christmas countdown is starting. Woo Hoo! I send out an e-mail a day countdown with a Christmas tidbit every day.

If you'd like to be a part of it leave me your e-mail address and I will be glad to add you.

Observation Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's Wednesday. But I worked yesterday so this is when I got to it. Today's edition is going to be a list of completely random things I am thankful for.

1. Modern IV Pumps. I am really glad I don't have to calculate drip rates like my mom did when she first started.
2. Ovens. I love baking and it would not be nearly as easy without an oven.
3. My Droid. I feel uber-connected with it and love being able to skype from my phone :)
4. Speaking of Skype. I am incredibly thankful for this wonderful invention that lets me talk to my sister and see my nephew even though they're on the other side of the world.
5. Felt. I used it to make a super cute craft flower. I'll blog about this later.
6. Planes. Especially the one my fiance is on right now!
7. People with positive attitudes. Especially those I'm around all the time, my friends and my patients. Having a positive attitude makes all the difference I think and makes life much more pleasant.
8. Jiffy corn bread mix. Without it corn bake, my favorite Thanksgiving recipe, would not be possible.
9. My straightener. Very superficial, but I love how soft and shiny it makes my hair feel and it's lasted for 4 years now. Very impressive.
10. Friends and family. Obviously.

and finally - I am thankful that I can now let my Christmas spirit enter full swing into my life.

Observation Tuesday: Volume 8

-Prince William is engaged to Kate Middleton. Now, despite minimal previous interest in the British Royal Family, I find myself deeply infatuated with this royal couple. Also, my inner 7 years old is very jealous she gets to become a princess. Anyways, I think she is gorgeous, well-spoken and appreciate that they were poised in front of the camera in their interviews. Extra tidbit I love is that they got engaged in Kenya while on holiday. I will be on wedding watch until their nuptials next spring or summer (maybe we'll even get married on the same day!).

-I may be spending a lot of money at Michaels over the next several months. My next knitting goal is socks and I've found so many crafting ideas I want to make, including these earrings.

-Thanksgiving is next week! This makes me happy not only because I get to see my future husband, but because then I can justify my Christmas music and snowflake socks. And I have a lot to be thankful for. (Also, Thanksgiving means my annual e-mail Christmas countdown will be starting soon after! Spread the word! hooray!)

-I am a firm believer in the fact that TV shows that end with "to be continued..." should be banned. I'm all for intense plots and such but isn't the idea of a tv show is that the sub-plot is wrapped up in that episode? I watched two versions of NCIS tonight and BOTH were not concluded. It was kind of upsetting.

-Finally, for your information, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and forgot to bring my floss with me to the grandparents. Isn't that ironic?

Trying to stay up

I got put on call at work. Which means you have to stay up until 1 a.m. in case they call you in. It's 12:05 now. Normally at work I don't usually get tired until 3 or 4, when I load up on a cup of coffee and am fine until I come home and crash at around 8. For some reason being home, within walking distance of my bed, in a pair of sweats makes me that much more tired.

To keep myself awake I have watched The Office, Community, Glee and an episode of America's Next Top Model. Don't judge me. My Netflix is currently non-functioning or I'm sure I'd be watching that too. I also currently have this going with some Christmas music. And yes, I know, it's not Thanksgiving, but sometimes Christmas just calls. Maybe Veteran's Day will be my new cut off :) (that link also pertains to the picture - you'll have to do it to find out how great it is)

I wish I could update you on my latest knitting projects but they're all Christmas gifts, so they'll have to wait for another month and a half. And finally in this random assortment of information I'll tell you I made my first batch of my Grandma's Homemade Buns all by myself. This is a big deal. I got so wrapped up in the process I forgot to take pictures. Next time.

P.S. I'm moving again. Yes, I know I just moved into my apartment, but living alone is...lonely. So I decided to move to Tahoka (30 min south of Lubbock) and live with my fiance's grandparents. They are so generous to offer and I could not be more excited about having someone to live with again. Now I get to re-pack everything I own and move out there in a week or so! Get ready for more exciting updates about my life in the country.

Home

"There's nothing half as so pleasant as coming home again."
~Margaret Elizaeth Sangster

After this past weekend I couldn't agree more.

For my sister

I made scones. Bowman's mom made scones and then requested I make some and tell her how they were, so I did. As you can see, I had an abundance of apples from the apple picking adventure so I went with these Oatmeal Apple Scones from Mr. Breakfast.com.

First I mixed all these:

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Then I cut in:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter -

until the mixture looked like wet sand, or just kind of chunky. Then I whisked together:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

And added it to the sand-like mixture. Then I added the

• 3/4 cup diced apple

and BAM! The dough:


The hard part was that you had to just plop it down on a greased pan and cut it into wedges. It was very inexact.


And voila! Scones! This sounds weird but they were a little too moist for my liking. Usually when I eat scones I like it to be a little dry so I'm not sure how I would tweak the recipe, but maybe next time I'll try a different one.