My 2010 To-Do List

I've never been that much of a resolution-maker. I am a huge to-do lister, and that kind of falls in line with making resolutions, so here goes (in no particular order):

1. Try one new recipe per month. I spend so much money on magazines I should at least be getting my money's worth, right? Plus, the boys need some variety in their lives. They can't keep eating the same thing over and over and like it (or can they?) I have been blessed with picky eaters but variety is the spice of life, so we're going to branch out a bit in 2010.

2. Move more. In general. Santa Mom and Dad got me a Garmin Forerunner 305 so when the warm weather hits, I'll be hitting the pavement. I plan on training for a half mary but probably not until after I graduate (see #7), so early to late summer it is. For the cold winter months, I'll focus on yoga podcasts.

3. Stop dwelling. I'm horrible at dwelling on things and I think that's one of the reasons why my stress level is so high and immune system is so low.

4. Organize clutter. I'm a notorious pack rat. If I haven't used it in over a year, I don't need it. But I might...

5. Save $. A minimum of three trips planned in 2010. Hawaii in June, Orlando in November for Thanksgiving are the big ones.

6. Go to church more. We haven't really found a church we are in LOVE with yet. We're going to make the rounds and see if we find one that fits us.

7. Graduate. I figure if I put it down in writing, it has to happen, right?

8. Drink more tea, less coffee. Somehow I don't see that happening with the new espresso maker I got from Santa Ross, but one can dream. I found a great tea that I absolutely love, it's called Candy Cane Lane. The peppermint is a great soother to my horrible stomach, so I kill two birds with one stone on that one.

9. Stick to it. Really. I tend to not stick to things, so if one of my resolutions is to stick to my resolutions, maybe it will be easier.

Hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2010. <3

The perfect cup

I got one of my Christmas presents early - an espresso maker with steam wand (!) and a caramel macchiato kit from Starbucks. It works perfectly and I enjoyed the perfect cup early this morning.

Can't wait for Christmas, and am bursting at the seams with happiness for a dear friend who has good news to share.

Baking extravaganza and Christmas dogs

Our annual gift exchange for the kids was this weekend at our house. We decided on brunch and the food was all yummy! I made some treats for the girls on Saturday. First up were Oreo truffles, then sugar cookies, then Gingerbread men.

 

 

The kids had a great time decorating, eating and opening presents.

Abby got Taylor/Bossy a little Christmas outfit and they looked adorable! I can't believe Christmas is 4 days away!

Night of Wine and beyond

Catching up...

Lucas had a basketball game early Saturday morning and the Rockets were victorious! Also, Taylor graduated from puppy training last Saturday, which was pretty much a whirlwind day. We had that, entertaining my cousin, and three parties in one night. After Tay's graduation, we hurried to the Old Spaghetti Factory to meet my aunt and cousins for lunch. Unfortunately when we were there, Max's DS case and all of his games got left behind and we haven't been able to track it down since. :( After lunch, we went to Jillian's to let the boys play away. They had a great time.

 

Saturday night I dubbed as the Night of Wine. First up was Nate and Kelly's wine fundraiser, then Vascular Surgery's Christmas party at Easley Winery, then Department of Surgery's party at Skyline Club. We were running late and didn't get to stay at Nate and Kelly's very long before we had to head to Easley. We decided we'd hit the Surg party afterward, but the invitation said it was over at 10 and by the time we left Easley and went back it was almost 9:40 so we decided to scrap the third party altogether and head back to Nate and Kelly's.

Sunday afternoon I had a spa day planned for Ross and me, along with some shopping. We went to Villagio Day Spa for a massage and facial. Their men's locker room was nice and cozy! (I got to go in because no other men were scheduled that day). The massage and facial were great! We had some issues at check-out but they were resolved within a few days and we are now very happy with our experience there.

The following week was busy! We had lots of Christmas shopping along with studying and a final for me. The boys' last day of school before break was Friday and we made a fan favorite, cinnamon sugared pecans for their teachers. It's a gift I make my co-workers every year and they love it. This year I packaged them in a cute Crate and Barrel mug with little gift tags from Michaels.

Taylor's first snow

We had our first snow of the season last night and it was Taylor's first snow to explore. She loves it!

Thanksgiving

So much to catch up on since I blogged last.

Thanksgiving has come and gone another year. We always host my mom's side of the family, and it has grown so much over the years. We were very sad to not have cousins Kara and Bryan this year, but excited to see them in two weeks for a cheer trip to Indy. Ross, Lucas and I ran the Drumstick Dash again this year (Lucas's 1st year). We did the short course to make sure Lucas could handle it and he was fantastic! Yummy treats at the end included free Starbucks coffee and Noodles and Co. Mac and Cheese. We got a bonus Noodles & Co free meal, too, which will definitely come in handy. After the race we went home and showered and then it was on to M & D's to start cooking. My sister already started some of the dishes and the turkey was already done. We had a nice meal and it was nice to catch up with relatives we usually only see once a year. We won't be seeing them next year, though, as M & D have promised us all a trip to Disney World to celebrate Thanksgiving stress free next year. Ross and I are going to research Turkey Trots in Orlando! That's at least three vacations on the docket next year - better kick the savings up a notch!

We made saltine toffee and felt finger puppet turkeys for work and the boys' teachers. The Martha Stewart-inspired turkeys were modified a little bit and the saltine toffee recipe was delicious and so incredibly easy. Max helped prepare and we all did our fair share of taste testing!

I am so thankful for a loving family, wonderful friends, a good job and almost being done with school. I'm this close!