Cookie Swap Julie

Cookie Cookie!  The other night we had a gals cookie swap!  Let’s just say I got some great holiday treats in my kitchen now! Ha!  Thanks gals for the fun!  And the chili was to die for! Ha!  I love getting together with the girls and just hanging out,  it is a true blessing to have such great friendships.   So much to be thankful for…. Love it!

Run Run Rudolph...

No just me! Ha!  I am still finding enjoyment in my running!  I am focusing on timing now more then distance and it has proven effective for me.  I am down from my 15 minute mile to about 12 minutes which is better.  I am amazed at the people that have been placed in my life that are also running during this time, beginners and marathoners.  I am loving the support and encouragement they offer.    If I am going to mention running I should mention my distance I guess, I am up to 4 miles but most days I run only 3.  With the darkness moving in earlier and earlier it is hard to get that time in without running circles in my neighborhood! Ha!  But hey I do what I have to, to get the runs in! 

I have to admit as I push the distance, when I am along I do get bored.  I do listen to my Ipod and try to jam out but after 3 miles it is just egh.  Any tips runners? HA!  I am doing well though and am proud of the strides I have made, literally!  I just got new running shoes and they are awesome, the crutching ankle pain has subsided and now it is all mental to just keep going.  I am thankful that God has gotten me this far and I do give him all the fame, because I cannot even run ½ mile without him with me! Thanks God!  I have always wanted a hobby, and I think I have found my nitch!  Praying it continues! 

Home Holiday Décor

I love to decorate for the holidays, outside and in!  The tree is of course my favorite!  Each year with the same decorations I am always surprised how it turns out! Ha!  Of course each year there are always some new additions.  Last year my Moma gave me some Christmas dishes, I was worried they would never be used, oh contraire! Ha!  We decided to decorate our dining room table with them; we always use our island to eat anyway!   Our candy dishes are full and the smell of cinnamon and apples fills our home.  It is welcoming and I am blessed and thankful for our home and the love that fills it!

The outdoor decorations turned out better then expected.  We purchased some new wreaths and such and put this together.  And this year we got the spotlight for the front door. Funny story recap, we put a new wreath on the front door and the heat from the sun between the storm and glass door melted the glue on the wreath decorations, glue was everywhere and it smelled so bad like a hot glue gun riot! Ha!  We laughed and just hung a fresh wreath, should’ve opted for that to start!   This year I was able to put 2 wreaths on our deck, it at least gives the back of the house some color! Ha! 

Christmas music fills the airwaves and the smells of baking fill my kitchen.  Tonight especially, I am baking for a cookie swap gals thing tomorrow night!  Mint Chocolate Chip, um um good!  Then within the next few weeks I will get the sugar cookies made and the pretzel candies, and fudge!  Sweets at Christmas… sweet! Ha!  And the cookie swap, love it, all these different cookies to sample, who wouldn’t like that!  Guess it’s a good thing I am running! Ha!

I have a few poinsettias in the house that brighten things up.  I love the vibrant red tones that catch my eyes as I turn corners in the house.  Did I mention I just love the holidays!  Now that our home is in order I just need to finish my shopping!   Oh and I wish I had my pictures :(  My camera is MIA...hmmm  Anyway pics to come! Ha!

SONS TONIGHT!

SOA tonight, season finale 90minutes! Can’t wait!  Tune in you’ll love it! Ha!  I can’t wait to see what happens next and how they are going to leave it this season!  Thankful for my DVR, what did we do years ago without them? 

Amazing how much I depend on technology and what it does for me!  Not only TV, but if I leave the house and forget my cell, I drive myself crazy thinking about it and oh what if I need it.    My husband, loves his HTC Evo, but hates texting and how much we as a society depend on our phones and information systems and networks.  It drives him crazy, he thinks it is very impersonal, he is old school! Ha! And FB, don’t even get him started, Ha!  I love all the different gadgets and phones and advances we make each day, I am dying for an IPAD! Ha!  But I see Danny’s point what new does it offer me that any other thing I have doesn’t?  Hmmmm…

Anyway, back to SOA, love it & can’t wait for tonight!

RAVENS SUNDAY

Go Ravens!  And yes that’s right they beat the Bucs! Danny and I want to the game Sunday with my parents, we had a blast!  The atmosphere, the crisp cool weather, the bus, the company, the food and the WIN of course!  We bought a new Ravens throw for the house, thanks baby! Thanks Mom & Dad for the tickets, we loved it!  Whoop Whoop!  We had a blast with my family, we love spending time with them!  Can’t wait until March when we go away together!

cHOcoLATe

Have you ever been to the Chocolate Spa at the Hotel Hershey?  One word-Amazing!  Danny surprised me with a spa evening in Hershey as a belated birthday gift.  It was wonderful, anything chocolate is of course! Ha!  They did this cocoa bean scrub and then this fondue wrap, simply fabulous!  Danny had a massage during all of this.  This was my second time to the spa, the first was with my Moma last year for her birthday. 

After the spa we went to dinner at Devon, yum!  I had the swordfish, so good especially with the sweet mashed potatoes and asparagus.  The Riesling was very good as well, it complimented my dinner nicely.   We ended the night by driving through the lights at Hershey, we listened to our first Christmas tunes of the year and just had a great time.  The lights were nice, I was surprised at the amount of time it took to travel through.  Bithdays are great no matter when you celebrate them!  It is a day to celebrate you and it’s just fun!  Thanks baby for the surprise XO!

I’M BACK!

Well once again it has been a while! Ha! My husband has been home so you know how it is, husband over blog! Ha!   What an amazing time we had while he was here.  It was our first Thanksgiving together with family since we have been married, so that was fun!  Food is always great! Ha! We are mostly done our holiday shopping so that is also a bonus!  Just a few more things and check!  And what’s hot this season, I don’t know how many people have asked me what I’d like for Christmas and ya know I am just not sure.  It’s funny how when you are older and can get anything you want whenever you want for the most part the holidays just aren’t the same!  When you were young and had to wait on Mom and Dad it was totally different! Right?  But you know this is still my favorite time of year.  From October through New Years, I just love the holidays and spending time with family and friends.  The celebrations, the decorations, the music, ahhh…  What are your holiday plans, I know from here until Christmas Day, my weekends are booked and my evenings are jam packed, amazing how I  handle it all :/