Bake, Bake, Bake It Up

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Filled with sprinkles, almond bark, red velvet and cream cheese frosting. I might have overextended myself on Sunday's bake-a-thon, but I was semi-pleased with the results and I furthered justified my Kitchen-Aid ownership. That baby did some major mixing over the weekend.

Had to start the day with some of this, paired with the gingerbread latte creamer.

I know we've discussed cake balls on the blog, but my good friend Laura, gave me the great idea to put them on a stick, call them pup pops, and take them to Namath's groomer. So after a batch of regular red velvet for the Bowman/Searson Christmas, I got to work.

Didn't realize styrofoam was necessary for this project. I have no clue how I thought these would stand up to dry. Thankfully we had some in a box, jusy lying around. For all the craft projects I make.

First batch. Post cursing and google searching "my cake pops are falling down the stick".

While I was getting my Jessica Simpson transformation hair cut Saturday, I sent Matt to Hobby Lobby to get bags for the treats. He swears these were all they had left. All in all, I think these turned out semi-cute.

He's so thoughtful.

Monday night was our annual Phi Mu Christmas ornament swap. After spending Sunday up to my elbows in almond bark, this was all I could muster. I never claimed to be Bakerella.

Looks like the making of a good night to me!

My box brownies fit in real well with the baked brie and salmon tarts. Better planning next year girls, I promise.

Aren't we so grown up?

Work is winding down and I'm looking forward to some new Christmas traditions with my better half. They are super sophisticated and I'll be sure to document accordingly.

A Weekend Full of Christmas Cheer - Old and New

There is something about tradition that makes the Christmas season come alive. We love the family traditions our families have set and as each Christmas passes, we are trying to begin traditions of our own. This weekend was a great mix of both- a little something for everyone, if you will.

Last year, Matt's friends hosted a Christmas party that turned into a dance party (for some of us). Hence the birth of the Christmas Dance Party.

I think the haircut was a nice compromise between trim and chop. I tend to get carried away in the chair. Blonder! Shorter! But, I digress...

While there wasn't as much dancing, this year's party provided fun with a taser gun and my first experience with deer sausage. In no particular order.

After a full day of baking Sunday (more on that later), we headed to Matt's sister and brother-in-laws for the Bowman/Searson Christmas. These two families have gotten together for dinner and gift swaps every Christmas since they were little. Now that all the kids are married, there are six families at our annual get together. I'm sure there's a country song that would describe this perfectly.

Sister did a wonderful job hosting. I love seeing everyone's serving pieces and trying new dishes. If Matt didn't hate olives, this dirty martini dip would be a staple. Olives and cream cheese? Yes, please!

Matt's sister married into an Italian family, so we were excited she was making their lasagna recipe! Fun fact - did you know Italians put a hard boiled egg in their sauce? Brother-in-law didn't know any different until he went to the Olive Garden at the age of 15 and asked where the egg was.

The hosts!

All the cheer made 5:45 come too early. Luckily, we had the foresight to snatch up the gingerbread latte creamer at Publix Friday night (yes-we are that exciting). Let the cheer continue!

HB

Let's do a little math, shall we? There are 168 hours in a week. I spend 56 of those sleeping. (I'm an 8 hour gal) 40 at work. That's a close second runner to where I spend most of my hours and definitely first place to where I spend the majority of my waking hours. The people you work with day in, day out, year in, year out, inevitably become intertwined in your life.

Today, on HB's birthday, I'm so glad she's my work neighbor!

When they first brought her to my cube on Main to introduce us, I'm pretty sure there was an eyeroll involved. I thought she was SUPER sweet and would have no appreciation for my sarcastic humor. Can't judge a book by its cover.

The past 5 years, we've seen a lot pass in front of our cubes on what we lovingly dubbed "Main Street". We've also lived a little bit of life. I'll never forget the morning I got brave and told her that I was probably heading towards divorce, being as caring as she is, she of course knew something wasn't right and had been concerned. Or the morning she got brave and told me about her new addition. She watched as I met and fell in love and married Matt. Her happiness when we got engaged is something I'll always remember. I even walked down the aisle in her wedding dress. It seemed things had come full circle and I'm so glad she was among the people that walked with me on that journey.

I so admire how she invests in other people's lives and have seen how excited she gets for the good things that happen to others. What a wonderful trait! She is a wonderful mother, an incredibly hard worker and so sensitive to other people's needs.

We share a mutual love for McDonalds, Greys and blogs. It's not a Thursday night if we arent emailing about the drama as it unfolds on ABC. (Much like we watch it unfold on Main Street, now that I think about it.)

We've moved cubes now, and Main Street is no longer "home". But HB does make work feel a little more like home, no matter the street.

Here's to you HB! Wishing you a birthday full of cheese dip and butter biscuits.

The Wife Chop

It seems to be an inevitable trend that soon after the wedding, after months of only trimming off just a little bit, the hair gets chopped off. I like my hair short.

See exhibit A.

But, after all the months of growing it out, I've convinced myself it isnt that much more difficult to fix and maybe I should run with it long for just a little bit...well, longer.

So begins the dance of googling medium hairstyles, finding pictures of Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie's hair, thinking I love it, taking it to the hairdresser, then getting home and realizing Ken Paves is not my best friend, therefore that big google image search was a huge waste of valuable eggnog drinking time.

Join me, won't you?

I really like the sideswept bangs. Truth be told, they will probably drive me nuts. But sometimes, a girl needs a new style

On the other hand, I did like Tori Spellings cute bob. My fine hair needs a few layers to surivive though.

Decisions, decisions. If nothing else, this blonde will be fresh for the holidays.

MIA

Wow, I feel behind. Last week just got away from me. I was out of town for work, we moved offices and I finished just about all of our Christmas shopping. This week is even busier, so we were glad to get that checked off our list.

While I was out of town, my thoughtful husband, who knows my weird obsession with all things dental, got me a prize.

My teeth have never felt cleaner after a brush. Merry Christmas to my gums! It even has its own little tanning bed for the brush heads that kills all the germs.

My Publix totals are getting better. I'm breaking even, so I don't think its too much longer until my saving outweighs my spending. I may or may not have bought 14 pounds of chicken Saturday. It was a great deal! I spent $80 this week and saved $80. And with all that chicken...I hope to report some lower totals the next few weeks.

Do you see what I see? Cake ball ingredients? The 14 lbs of poultry?

Finales have to have theme wine. I think we did pretty good for the Dexter finale. Notice her watch. I die.

We spent a lot of time with family this weekend, and it made it feel like the holidays. Yesterday was the Searson's Christmas cantata. Listening to them sing makes it feel like the holidays. One of the first memories I have with Matt was watching him perform in his parents cantata and its something special we enjoy each year.

It's even snowing a bit here in Alabama, which does great things for the Christmas spirit! Merry, merry, friends!

Laying Low

Believe it or not, I have absolutely no pictures of this weekend. Not a single one. So you will have to imagine the delicious Wanchai Ferry we ate Friday night while finishing out the Grisham movie week with The Pelican Brief.

Paint a picture in your mind of us running the Jingle Bell 5k Saturday morning. Of course in this picture my hair looks fantastic and I'm just glistening, rather then drenched in sweat, ok?

Then shift to the look of dissapointment in journalism as a whole when Tracy Wolfson chugged back some Cammy Cam juice. (There's an image I'm glad I dont have digitally).

Can't you just see my TV taken apart all over the living room floor in surgery to replace the color wheel only to find out I ordered the wrong color wheel?

We layed low this weekend. There's a point in most months budgets which I, and a friend who shall remain nameless, have dubbed "NOM" - No One Move. After all the obligations, there just isnt much room to move that week. So besides hustling that 3.1, we spent a lot of time as a family relaxing at home. It wasn't much of a sacrifice.

A Little Something for your CD Player

We're headed into the weekend with plans to finish our John Grisham saga, get some exercise, do some wedding gift exchanges and watch some South Carolina football.

It may be 60 degrees in Birmingham, but we've been getting in the Christmas spirit. I'm not a big Christmas music fan, but someone ran across this group a few years ago...the details are foggy. But, they don't matter because they are fantastic.

A little intro to Straight No Chaser. If this doesn't make you laugh, then I really can't help you.



Five Golden Rings!!!

Happy weekend!

What's for Dinner?

One of the skills I'm working on post wedding is menu planning. Specifically, making our menu off of what is on sale that week. Also, not gaining 15 lbs. Piece of cake (cooked with splenda with a coupon), right?

One month in, here's how meals on a budget have been shaking down so far. Sit back and soak up all the knowledge I've gleened in a months time. It's staggering, really. I kid.

1. Familiarize yourself with recipes and ingredients - We all love allrecipes.com, but I've really started utilizing it. As I read more recipes, I've gotten a good idea of what ingredients are good to always have on hand, so I can stock up on them when they are on sale and be on the lookout for coupons. (cream of xxx soups, extra virgin olive oil, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, garlic, spices, sour cream, etc.)



2. Doubling the recipe - If the recipe isn't large enough for leftovers and can easily be doubled, its a must. We did this for the baked potato soup, and were able to eat off of it for 3 meals. Makes the effort much more worthwhile and gives me a night off so I'm not so burnt out on cooking (I know its only been a month, thanks).



3. Branch Out - Speaking of allrecipes.com, I signed up for their daily recipe e-mail. Usually stuff like this drives me nuts and is a waste of space in my inbox, but so far these recipes have been really good and simple. If nothing else, they have helped me with point one. One day, hopefully not too far from now, I can just make dinner from what's on hand and what I've learned about cooking (not just a hat rack, my friend.)



4. Frozen Food is your Friend (on Fridays) - I'm not a big fan of frozen dinners during the week. I feel better having real meals, not to mention frozen food isn't great for you. But on the weekend, they are my friend. As much as I love to eat out, we try to be intentional with our 'entertainment' budget, so usually at least one night of the weekend we'll eat in. Great time to splurge on that pizza or Wanchai Ferry. Which, if you have not tried, I highly recommend. It feels more festive, and I figure I wouldnt have eaten great had we gone out. Justification is a strong suit of mine.

5. Not breaking the scale - This one is tough. It's that time of year when its cold outside, dark after work and you just want to sit on the couch with a bowl of mashed potatoes and fried everything. I do what I can here. We try to make healthier substitions when possible, but a big part is keeping breakfast and lunch healthy so some nights we can have more leeway at dinner. The treadmill is also a key player in point five.

So far, I've enjoyed trying new things and cooking for our little family. Matt is a great help in the kitchen, which is so wonderful! Don't you worry, Namath eats pretty good too. We can all sleep easy now. Especially since this food has odor reduction.

I love a good recipe, so please feel free to share!

Happy Thursday kids! It's Grey's and Private night...which means time to break out the adult beverages and OPI. I'm not letting this tradition die.

Where's the Confetti?

A few small milestones for the Searsons these past two days.

One month anniversary yesterday.

100th blog post today.

Fifth birthday for our favorite bulldog.

We decorated our first Christmas tree.

It was fun to pull out the ornaments and remember what we have.

See the resemblence?

Namath working security on the tree. It just thrilled my soul he didn't try and pee on it. NILIF!

I was so excited to find the champagne ornament! Thank you, past self, for buying this.

Matt's parents bought this for us at the beach. I thought it was hysterical.

We got this last year at a Christmas party dirty santa. We're trying to find the perfect spot for it.

In the meantime, now that you mentioned it....an eggnog and Kahlua would hit the spot.

After pulling out all our ornaments and putting the tree up, we realized we only had three ornament hooks. Well, we got in the spirit anyways. Pictures of the finished product to come.

What better way to end a holiday themed evening than with a movie about the vicious rape and beating of a little girl in a newly integrated Mississippi?

It's been a Grisham themed week at the Searson's. Mainly because it's been a Grisham themed week on TNT. We've watched The Rainmaker, The Client and A Time to Kill. Its hard to find movies we both enjoy, so it's been nice to have three straight nights of unisex movies, although this one kept me up way past my bedtime.

I'll get over it.