build your own snowman.

we had way too much fun on yahoo's build your own snowman--

there were many different looks you could choose from and a few of us took advantage of this very christmasy-creative outlet.


my snow woman:



chandi's:



mia's:

shallow thoughts

does anybody else find it sickly satisfying if they help their middle or high school child write a paper/poem/essay and then their teacher LOVES it?

(or is that just me?)

christmas morning.

true story:

as children, we never went into see what santa left for us under the tree until our parents came in and gave us the OK. we would sit in our bed, yelling for them to wake up and "COME GET US!"-- not getting a sneak peek at the goods was a small price to pay for the delicious anticipation we'd experience snuggled together in bed in matching homemade pj's. it's a tradition that i carry on to this day with my own children. seeing their faces as they run into the living room for the first glimpse is always my favorite part of christmas morning.

one year when i was 7 and loni was 10, my parents finally came in and told us to get ready to line up (always youngest to oldest, which worked just FINE for me until my younger brother ryan was born. FUNSUCKER.)

i was trying to be adult-nonchalant-cool about the whole christmas thing: i didn't want loni to smell my desperation and sense my pathetic, shameless desire for STUFF. so while putting on our robes and slippers, i casually threw out, "i wonder if santa ate our cookies and drank our milk? do you think he enjoyed them?"

i was pleased. this sounded very appropriate and had just the right amount of concern for santa's well-being without sounding overly-caring about the presents underneath the tree.

she looked at me, rolled her eyes and said, "like i CARE. i just want to see how much money he spent on my toys. DUH!"


and that, my friends, is how it should be done.

thankful thursday

short list this week, but i am nonetheless thankful for:



**this simply STUNNING idea that i am gonna use for our family christmas cards next year--i think i could really take it to the next level with this forward-thinking concept.






Cat lovers will reach owner-enlightenment with glasses featuring yin and yang images exploring feline duality. Corresponding cat wisdom in English and Chinese floats above each image, while the secret of true harmony: "The Tao of Cat is to do your thing and leave the kitty alone" runs along the side of each glass in English and Chinese.

The many sides of kitty include:

Thinker/Player: "In catnip there is dignity"

Hiss/Purr:"Napping overcomes wrath"

Bad Cat/Good Cat:"To obey is to resist"

Go Away/Love Me:"To shun is to adore"


**these "tale of two kitties" glasses that i received in the mail from one of my favorite people in the world--they could not have arrived at a better time. they put a smile on my face and a little warmth in this cold old heart--i plan on using them for honored guests and esteemed colleagues. (i don't really have any colleagues. but it sounds good, doesn't it?)

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

**that our local concert choir has not taken on this number as of yet. (but you could BET that i would be there, front & center when they do!)

MORE cowbell

i think if i had this more cowbell i could really "EXPLORE THE SPACE".

what i want for christmas: ITEM SIX

i think there is no good reason why kris kringle shouldn't bring me the WHY yacht--

after all, i AM the "julie mccoy, cruise director" of our friend group, and i am always on the look out for something new and fun to use in our travels--

this bad boy accommodates 12 (guess i'll have to cut some of you out of my life--sorry!) and with a staff of 20, i think all of my needs will be attended to nicely.

off-day

do you ever just feel like this?

i do. today.

so i'll catch my breath. but AHHHHHLLLL BE BAAAHHHHHCCCK on wednesday--

i'm planning on having lots of joy & star quality. somewhere in this vein:



(i just hope the world will continue revolving. let me know if it doesn't~)

what i want for christmas: ITEM FIVE

crazy cat lady board game

"Cat ladies... rejoice! You're not the only one with a growing kitty collection! No matter that you plan your ENTIRE life around your furry feline friends... that's what happens when you become a cat mom. Assuming you still have human friends, the aim of this 2-4 player game is to collect as many cats as you can, while you make the journey around the board and land on spaces like Find A Feral Cat in the Dumpster (gain a cat), Kitten Falls From Sky Into Your Pocket (gain a cat), and Kitten Distracted by Bit of Fluff (lose a cat). Tip: if you find yourself losing, just put a few cat treats on the board. Your real cats will come a-runnin' and knock off all the playing pieces! Then you get to start over. Imported. Wipe clean."


seriously. i KNOW. you don't even need to say it.

my favorite is that it wipes clean--now we're all set.

{thanks to my s.i.l. alison for the hook up}

doesn't work well with others

while outside trying to help my man put up christmas lights this season, i came to one conclusion, and ONE CONCLUSION ONLY:

we don't work well with each other.


suffice to say, i don't think he'll be hiring me anytime soon.

(good thing we still want to hang out normally. or ab-normally. whichever.)

the buried life

i thought this looked really cool:





now mtv is going to start showing it as a series in january--i hope they don't screw up a good thing. (fingers crossed!):

The Buried Life - MTV Shows

{SIGH.}

oh, MY.

i may or may not be guilty of watching the following clip upwards of 20 times:






(ps--you are WELCOME for the yeast infection commercial.)

gingerbread whoopie pies with lemon creme

i found this recipe for gingerbread whoopie pies in the spectrum (our local newspaper) the other day and i actually tore it out. then i looked around for signs of the apocalypse, because i don't do that.

EVER.

i don't read food blogs, exchange recipes, or plan any meals with anticipation. UNLESS it involves going to a great restaurant.

but for some reason this recipe called to me--the gingerbread part for myself, the lemon part for my man. he's a sucker for that stuff.

so i tried it the other day. and they were really, willywillywilly good.

i will admit to a weak moment whilst making the dough & doubting the lemon and peppermint combo--i started to think it might just be too weird. but kudos to megan for, once again, talking me off the baking ledge and talking me INTO the ingredients. it was spectacular.

so, two thumbs up to these bad boys--you should get on this train.


gingerbread cookie dough recipe:

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

1. mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, & salt in large bowl.

2. beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. add molasses and egg; beat well. gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. press dough into a thick flat disk. wrap in plastic wrap.

3. refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.



gingerbread whoopie pies with lemon creme:

1 recipe gingerbread cookie dough
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp pure lemon extract
1 cup crushed peppermint candies

1. prepare 1 recipe gingerbread cookie dough as directed.

2. shape dough into 1-inch balls. roll in granulated sugar. place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

3. bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. remove to wire racks; cool completely.

4. mix marshmallow cream, butter, cream cheese and extract in medium bowl until well blended.

to assemble whoopie pies, place about 1 tablespoon filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. top with a second cookie, pressing gently to spread the filling. roll sides of whoopie pies in crushed candy. repeat with remaining cookies. refrigerate whoopie pies between layers of wax paper in airtight container up to five days.

why my friends are the coolest:

i got this christmas card today from jared & jody--

it just so happens to be my new all-time FAVORITE.


{photo by the always-amazing malea of tickled pink photo--sorry it's a bit fuzzy.}

silent monks SING!

you've probably seen this around the internet--but it doesn't stop me from wishing i had thought of it FIRST.

so clever!

thankful thursday

things that i am thankful for this week:

**the chance to make gingerbread cookies with my children.

normally, this isn't a thing i'd be really that thankful for--it's too much effort and mess multiplied by children fighting and sticky fingerprints EVERYWHERE. but i decided to cave to my sentimental side and give it a whirl.

thank goodness we had megan over to supervise and talk me off the ledge. i think, all in all, it was a success.

we used kami's recipe and the cookies were freaking FANTASTIC! i'm not normally a fan of any type of gingerbread, but i think these were over-achievers. unfortunately, our decorating skillz were a little ghetto--i would consider these to be the red-headed stepchildren of gingerbread cookies.

my favorite part of it all was the frosting--any time you incorporate a whole can of sweetened condensed milk into a project, it's gonna be a winner~



**the chance to have our annual christmas s'mores roast with our beloved friends & family.

i've realized that i've officially become OLD, because my worst fear is being cold. in my opinion, it ranks up there with the worst kind of torture. so, even though we live in the desert and it's practically a balmy spring day compared to other climates, i had us dressed a la winter storm watch.

we sang and ate and burned things and poked sticks in hot coals. what more could we ask for?



**a cat who finds itself perfectly at home inside a christmas sack. and wiggled UNDERNEATH the handles that were tied together.

we think he might be gifted and talented. we'll be having him tested soon.






**the beauty of animated neil diamond.

i would trade

so in love with these cards from sycamore street press--







{courtesy of a cup of joe}