Friday, November 30, 2012

Holiday Bucket List

I love the idea of having a bucket list for each season.  I made one for the fall, and it really made me do a lot of things that I wanted to do, but probably would have pushed aside.  Crazy what this little blog will make you do for yourself!  Now that it's Christmas, it's time for a Holiday Bucket List!

Source: google.com via Mcp on Pinterest
Elyse's Holiday Bucket List 2012
 
1.  Watch Christmas movies.
2.  Make Christmas cookies.
3. Shop til I drop.
4. Look at Christmas lights.
5. Listen to Christmas music.
5.  Play in the snow (if it snows).
6.  Read Christmas stories.
7. Do something nice for someone.
8. Make crafty Christmas things.
9. Drink peppermint hot chocolate.
10. Spend time with family.
11. Wrap presents.
12.  Try a new Christmas recipe.
13. Drink Christmas cocktails.
 
Now I have 26 days to get all of this done!
 


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Happy Wednesday!

Oh how I wish it was last week!  Then today would be the last day of school before having 4 days off!  I'm so tired this week!  But at least it is Wednesday, so I get to link up with  Jamie @ This Kind of Love and What I'm Loving Wednesday and Michelle @ The Vintage Apple and Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday! 
 
I am loving all of the Christmas decorations!  I am done decorating, but I am not satisfied with all of my stuff yet.  I am thinking I need more!
 
I am loving that Kelly and I are going on an official date this weekend to a hockey game!  We haven't done this in a little while, so it will be nice to spend some time together with no t.v.s or computers.
 
I am loving that I have my lessons plans done through December!  Oh yeah!
 
This is what I am loving on Pinterest this week:
 
Source: lh3.ggpht.com via Elyse on Pinterest
 
 
Source: etsy.com via Elyse on Pinterest
 
Source: rantapallo.fi via Elyse on Pinterest

 Love this scarf!  Who wants to make me one?
 
Source: ebay.com via Elyse on Pinterest
 Love these leggings!
 
Someone can also make me one of these for Christmas if they want!
 
 
 Sesame Ginger Salmon!  YUM!
 
 Honey Roasted Red Potatoes
 
Now I'm hungry.
 
Happy Wednesday!
 
What are you loving today?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Fall Bucket List Finale

Even though Fall is not technically over, let's face it, Fall is over.  No one wants to give Fall another thought until next year.  It's all about Christmas now!  I need to finish up my Fall Bucket List, so I can start my Holiday Bucket List!  I didn't get to mark everything off but I was really close!

Elyse's Fall Bucket List 2012
1. Go on a nature walk (take the camera!)
2. Bake apple dumplings.
3. Eat caramel apples.
4. Bake yummy pies.
5. Drink hot chocolate.
6. Go to a football game.
7. Go to a soccer game. (My family is definitely a soccer family)
8. Make chocolate chip pumpkin bread.
9. Paint and decorate pumpkins.
10. Have a bonfire with s'mores.
11. Go to the Fall Festival. (That's a big one here).
12. Have friends over for chili.
13. Drink apple cider. Maybe spiked? Hehe
14. Try a new fall recipe from Pinterest.
15. Make a fall wreath.
16. Wear a fall scarf.
17. Get out and wear fall boots.
18. Count my blessings and give thanks.



4. Bake yummy pies.
 
Thanksgiving was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this one.  We always have pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I had a hand in making the pumpkin pie, which turned out like this:
 
 
Fail much?????

I tried to get fancy and braid the crust on the top.  Then while baking, part of it fell in.  I also added some decorative crust leaves in the middle, which were added before it was firm enough, so they started to sink.  Try not to be too jealous of my baking skills.  It was tasty though!

12. Have friends over for chili.

Although we didn't have chili, we did have friends over a few times.  I made little snacky foods instead of chili.  Forgot to take pictures though. :-/

13. Drink apple cider. Maybe spiked?

Check!  And check with the spiked also!  I have a feeling this is something that will carry over onto the Holiday Bucket List because it is so yummy!

16. Wear a fall scarf.
17. Get out and wear fall boots.

Check!  Check!  I have been doing both practically every day, but I am not a big fan of taking pictures of myself in the mirror, and I can't find any other pictures that show my feet, so you will just have to use your imagination!  Here's my favorite fall scarf:


It's very fall-y. 

And last but definitely not least:

18. Count my blessings and give thanks.

I have so much to be thankful for this year.  My awesome family, my amazing boyfriend, my friends, co-workers, students, my job, my family's new dog, my new car (which I have been paying for myself since I bought! I know, I'm growing up.), my cozy apartment (whose days are numbered)...I could go on and on.  God is so good to me!

Here are the things that I didn't get a chance to do this fall season:

6. Go to a football game.
7. Go to a soccer game.
10. Have a bonfire with s'mores.

I missed high school football season...and soccer season.  It went by so fast!

And I live in an apartment, so it's kind of hard to have a bonfire in your backyard.  My backyard is an interstate.  So that one was out of my control!
 
Stay tuned for the Holiday Bucket List!

Monday, November 26, 2012

5 for Five

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I will share more about mine later, but for now I have to see how I did on my goals for the week!  So I'm linking up with Jessica @ Fantastically Average and Jenn @ Party of One

FantasticallyAverage
 
Here were my goals for last week:
 
1.  Schedule 3 blog posts at least the night before, if not earlier.  Eeek.  I totally forgot about this one.  I actually only posted twice last week and only one of them was scheduled!
 
2.  Finish the wreath I started working on.  CHECK!  The wreath was for my sister so I had to finish it before she went back to school!
 
 
She added the letter.  Isn't it cute!?!
 
3.  Help my mom cook on Wednesday night.  CHECK!  That is my favorite part of Thanksgiving!
 
4.  Slow down and enjoy the holiday.  CHECK!  I even did a little shopping on Black Friday!
 
5.  Count my blessings.  CHECK!  I have so much to be thankful for!
 
Here are my goals for this week:
 
1.  Schedule 3 blog posts at least the night before.
 
2.  Finish at least 2 craft projects.  I have to get started on Christmas gifts!
 
3.  Make an additional payment on my credit card.  I charged some extra stuff to it this weekend, and I want to get that off of there!
 
4.  Workout 6 out of 7 days.  I got off track due to the holiday.
 
5.  Put the finishing touches on my Christmas decorations.
 
Have a great week!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

WILW and OHP- Thanksgiving

Last day of the work week!  Wahoo!  I'm so glad to be back for my fav link up of the week!  So Let's get to it with  Jamie @ This Kind of Love and What I'm Loving Wednesday and Michelle @ The Vintage Apple and Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday! 
 
I am loving my parents new doggy!  We haven't had a dog for probably almost 10 years, so we are excited!  His name is Dierks after Dierks Bentley.  Isn't he cute?!?
 
 
I am loving that Thanksgiving is tomorrow!
 
 
 I love Thanksgiving because it is pretty much the same type of gathering as Christmas only without all of the hustle and bustle! 
 
We will be having our celebration at my parents house, as always. 
 
Some things on the menu include:
-Turkey (my least favorite)
-Mashed Potatoes
-Corn Pudding
(some would call it corn casserole, but we call it pudding.  Why?  I don't know.)
-Sweet Potato Casserole
-Stuffing
(Of course! Only it's more like reincarnated bread with some vegetables because if you "stuff" that stuffing in the turkey, I'm definitely not eating it!)
-Broccoli Casserole
-Strawberry Pretzel Salad (Another fav)
-Pumpkin Pie
-Pecan Pie
-Oatmeal Cake
 
So much food!  Which beings me to my next thing that I am loving...
 
Cooking with my mom, sister, and even my brother.  We all help out! (My dad does the yard).  This year I am excited because my brother's girlfriend is helping us cook too!  And my Grandma is bringing over some wine and cheese to snack on while she helps us!  We will be spending lots of time together this holiday weekend, while we are still mourning the loss of my grandmother.  We will have lots of love, support, and comfort food to go around, and I know God will always help us through the difficult times!
 
Here are my Thanksgiving finds from Pinterest:
 
 
 
 Pumpkin Praline Dessert
 
 
Yummy drink.
 
 
Hot bourbon apple cider.
 
 
Cute little turkey treat.
 
 
Pumpkin shaped dinner rolls with pecan stems.
 

Smelly-good stuff on the stove. :-)
 

Oh Friends...
 
Source: google.com via Elyse on Pinterest

Phoebe: Joey, those are maternity pants."
Joey: "No, these are my Thanksgiving pants."
 
 
 
Source: twicsy.com via Elyse on Pinterest
 
What are you loving on this Wednesday before Thanksgiving?
 
Stay tuned tomorrow for MORE about what I am thankful for.  There are just so many things, and I know you are so curious!

Monday, November 19, 2012

5 for Five

It was a long, tiresome week last week (see yesterday's post), and I am not even sure how I did because I can honestly say I didn't even try!   Good thing this is a short week! I'm going to give it another go with Jessica @ Fantastically Average and Jenn @ Party of One

FantasticallyAverage
 
 
 Here were my goals for last week:
 
1.  Finish the photobooks I have been working on before TuesdayI did actually finish them before Tuesday, but unfortunately, I was not able to use my Groupons on all of them because you can only use one Groupon per account.  Boo.   
 
2.  Keep track of how many calories I eat using the Lose It! app on my phone.  Not even close.  And I am not even going to try this week.
 
3.  Finish at least one crafty project.  I started a Christmas wreath, but I ran out of tulle.  Otherwise I would have totally finished!  I'm counting it!
 
4.  Schedule 3 blog posts at least the night before, if not earlier.  I didn't even blog 3 times last week. 
 
5. Be able to set my alarm for 5:00 am 3 out of 5 mornings.  Since I was off 3 days last week, I was able to sleep in, which was nice since I was up at least past midnight every night. 
 
3 out of 5.  Not bad for not even trying!
 
Here are my goals for this week:
 
1.  Schedule 3 blog posts at least the night before, if not earlier.
 
2.  Finish the wreath I started working on.
 
3.  Help my mom cook on Wednesday night.
 
4.  Slow down and enjoy the holiday.
 
5.  Count my blessings.
 
I think I should be able to get those done!
 
Have a great week!


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sunday Social- What I'm Thankful For

Instead of answering questions this week, we are talking about what we are thankful for in celebration of the upcoming holiday.
 
 
This week I am especially thankful for my grandmother.  She passed away on Thursday morning after having a stroke a little less than a week earlier.  It was a surprise to all of us, but she went quickly and suffered very little.  The upcoming holidays will be hard, since she was always a part of our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, but we will make it though knowing that she is with my grandpa up in heaven. 
 
 
 
My grandma's picture should have been under the definition of grandma in the dictionary.  She spoiled us rotten, told us stories, and read us pop-up books.  She came to everything from Christmas programs at school, to birthdays, graduations, even first communions.  She never missed a chance to socialize!  We joked about how she wasn't that great of a cook.  We always had boiled hot dogs and creamed corn for dinner when we spent the night at her house.  Her pumpkin pie, although sometimes a little burnt, was a staple at our Thanksgiving meal.  I am thankful that I got to spend so much time with her throughout my life.  She will be missed by all!
 
 
 
 
Love you and miss you more than words Grandma!
 
I am also thankful for all of my family, friends, and co-workers who helped me to get through this week.  It was a very long week with not a lot of sleep, and I would have never made it without the support of those people.  I have to say that I really am surrounded by the best people!




 
 
I am thankful that I have a boyfriend who loves me and puts up with me no matter what kind of crazy mood I am in!  He even gets me flowers sometimes!

 
I am thankful that my dad decided to get a dog today!




His name is Dierks and he is too cute!  Something happy in these not so happy times for my family.

Source: etsy.com via Brittany on Pinterest


 
Content My Life with a Cherry on Top | Design Copyright Poppiness Designs