Obsessed...if thats the right word...

Taking classes with a bunch of 18-20 year olds, you can't help to get a little sucked into the interests that they find appealing. Once I found out that many more ladies (ahem, MY age...) were talking about this series, I knew that I had to get involved.

Ah yes, I am speaking of the one and only Twilight Series.

I added it to my list of "ideas for gifts" for Christmas, and on December 21st, I got the first two books, Twilight, and New Moon. I started the first book on Monday evening, and Thursday morning (yes, you read that correctly - I was reading on Christmas morning - a girl can't help it, you'll have to peel these books away from my cold, bloody hands!) I finished the first two books. These are stories that are well over 500 pages a piece, mind you. Now, they are "teenage reading" so its not like I'm reading the classics here, where I often need to have a dictionary sitting next to me. But, if you like to read, READ THESE! A-MAZING.

I think, personally, the reason that I connect so well to these stories has to do with the fact that I am a newly married gal. I'm still in the "AWWW" stage of my relationship - heres wishing that stage NEVER goes away! :) Mike often tells me how important I am to him, and he often gushes over me, I'm not going to get into the mooshy (private) details, but we are absolutely one of those annoyingly in love couples. And this is what the relationship is with Bella and Edward that you feel from Bella's perspective in the story. I truly connect to these characters because this is where we are in our relationship, minus the whole vampire thing :)

I love these stories, they're so well written - I even dragged Mike to the movie theater and saw the first Twilight movie since its still playing - on Tuesday night after I finished the first story! haha!

So to make a long story short - no pun intended - read these stories (if you have not already) they are great, and the characters are so easy to connect with and love - and Edward isn't too hard to keep away from the imagination, come on look at that man, GORGEOUS.

(picture borrowed from google images)

The Christmas Story

Mike and I decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to go see our local theater group (Geva Theatre) in their first year of the performance "A Christmas Story" (You'll shoot your eye out kid!)
Last night, we got all decked out, and went to the showing of "A Christmas Story" at 7:00pm. We were lucky enough to get second row seats, on the aisle (nice). The show was great, it did a very good job of portraying the classic movie. The story was mostly all kids, and a "Ralphie" narrator. I love going to our local theater, I was in the drama club in high school, and so I've always had a love for theater, and I'm happy to support local theater especially.

If you have a chance (and an extra 50 bucks a person) I highly recommend seeing this play, the kids are really cute, and the acting is great!

6-Month Anniversary

Happy One Year Anniversary to my one and only.

I love you baby, today, tomorrow and always.

Happy Holidays

Finals (almost) Over!

Life Updates:

I can finally get ready to start celebrating Christmas (aka making cookies!!) Today I finished 4 of my 5 final exams (with the final exam to be on Tuesday morning at the ripe hour of 7:45 am.

And...I lost my job on Monday. I knew it was going to happen, it was inevitable. I was working part time making a full time rate per hour. How long COULD it last? I actually lasted the entire semester - interesting how things work out - I could have worked full time beginning Monday morning because classes are officially over as today. I never really liked the job, nor did I ever really feel like I had a place. It means something to me that this job was enough to force me back into school and decide that I need to make something more of myself then a glorified secretary. I am better then that and I know it.

Its going to be a different way to live, Mike and I are working out our bills to make sure we can afford for me not to work, as long as everything works out we should be O.K. We have no bills, and all we pay is our normal utilities and our mortgage, which is lower then a lot of peoples rent. I'm sure I'll get bored and eventually decide to get a job working PT while I finish school, but in the mean time, I'm not going to worry about it and I will finish my year out on a good note.

Needless to say, I'll have more time for blogging, and hopefully more time to spend with my FAVORITE cousin Amanda (my one follower of my blog! haha)

Grandma's Pizzelles

Today was a very big day for me - I finished the majority of my final exams today. I had 4 exams in ONE DAY! I have never taken that many exams in one day - ever. Considering I haven't been in school full time in almost 8 years, it was even more of an unbelievable feat. So anyway, I can finally get back to blogging! So here is another of my favorite holiday cookies...

This year we decided to make Grandma's *Secret Recipe* Pizzelles. Unfortunately, Mike's Grandmother is getting older and can't make cookies like she used to, so we decided to carry the tradition out on our own, so you are lucky enough that I will share this great recipe with you!

Grandma's Pizzelles

6 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup butter or margarine
4 Cups all purpose Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Heat pizzelle maker (if this is the first time you have used it, spray with cooking spray, otherwise there is no need to spray the iron)

Beat Eggs in a large bowl, add sugar gradually, Beat with mixer until smooth. Add cool, melted butter (or margarine), and vanilla.

Sift flour and add to egg mixture slowly. Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by teaspoon.

Follow directions on the pizzelle maker, you will drop the dough in teaspoon sized drops closer to the back of the maker, and close the lid, two pizzelles can be made at a time, and the recipe yields about 40 pizzelles.

The hubs hard at work makin' pizzelles

My Version of Buckeyes

Its not christmas time until we're making our holiday cookies! Here is the first of at least a half dozen recipes i'll be writing about...

Terri's Buckeyes

1 Jar Smooth Peanut Butter
1 large container Marshmallow Fluff
Approx. 3 Cups Rice Krispies
Chocolate for melting (we used about 2 lbs)

Mix entire jar of peanut butter with marshmallow fluff until blended well. Mix in Rice Krispies, I wrote approx. 3 cups because it depends on how crispy you will want your buckeyes. Roll balls into one inch diameter balls. Place on cookie sheet, and cool in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes or until chilled. Dip in melted chocolate and cool for approx. 1 hour on wax or parchment paper.

This is one of my favorite holiday recipes. They are AMAZING. The best (and easiest) truffles I've ever made. They are nice and smooth from the peanut butter and marshmallow mixture, but they have a nice crunch when you bite into them from the chilled chocolate and the rice krispies.

This recipe has always been on our "must-make" list, and was the first of two recipes that i've made this holiday season.

Enjoy!!

Finals are Looming!

I've reached that wonderful time of year - finals time! I can't believe that my first full time semester back to school is coming very quickly to a close. I have one last big paper to write, and 5 final exams next Thursday. Yesterday it felt very real when I was at school from 8am until 7pm working on a 13 page paper about Cesar Chavez...don't know who he is? He is a Mexican American who worked for farm workers rights in the 60's and 70's. Now you know :)

I came home last night after an exhausting day at school, where needless to say all i've eaten was an orange at 10am, to the house smelling like burning, Mike running around the kitchen, something in the broiler, something in the oven, two pots on the stove top, and the radio blaring in the background. I walked in took my jacket off, proceeded to ask where the dog was, and found out that he was at the dog sitters still, put my jacket back on and without a word left the house to pick up the dog. What i've learned is that it is best to pick and choose your arguments.

So thank you to all my family members (especially Mike) who are dealing with me the next two weeks - I am a veritable ball of stress, and i'm sure not much will change until Thursday afternoon at 3:30pm on December 11th.

In the words of Tim Gunn, "make it work."