Thoughts

Call Me Crazy

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I have been super tired lately. Tired to the point that I have had a migraine for two weeks that I know is because of lack of sleep. Thanks to Excedrin PM, I will be getting some sleep tonight.

I have had so much to do with decorating for Christmas, working longer hours at the office, travelling, and trying to get Christmas presents done early this year. Of course this would be the year that I decided to bake up a storm and send Christmas early to all of my family. Little did I know that might not be such a good idea.

In the course of baking, I realized that all of my goodies were coming out a little more cooked then I would have liked. When I got to my famous scones at 11pm at night; I realized that I was obviously more tired than I thought. My scones are always light in color with golden bottoms but . . . this particular round found themselves on the long end of a tanning bed session. While still edible; I did have family members ask why they were darker than usual (thanks for being kind). 🙂

Nevertheless, I chalked it up to experience and vowed to start cooking before the witching hour from here on out. Then I took a drive . . . by myself . . . and I had time to think. I started wondering if it was really me or was something out to ruin my holiday cheer. That is when I turned into an investigator and the first suspect on my list was my oven. I needed to make a strong case or I was going to lose so I decided to catch the oven in the act.

I purchased an oven thermometer . . . and the rest is, as they say, history. I found out that my oven cooks hotter, by about 50 degrees hotter. Good to know. Hopefully my cooking will be better in the future.

So would you like to know what I made for everyone?! Here are 5 of the items that I made. HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

  1. S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
  2. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
  3. Salted Caramel Butter Bars
  4. 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

Isn’t It Wonderful!

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I did it! The first time ever was I able to get Christmas up by December 1st! In fact, I got it up on November 28th. I am so proud of me!!

Now that Christmas is in full swing at my house; I have to start planning all of the fun things that I want to do during the season. Since I am in a new state this year; I need to become well-versed in all the Portland traditions. If you are a local–please bring me up to speed. Below are 5 things that I am going to start out with and see how they go.

  1. Christmas in the Garden at The Oregon Garden
  2. Portland Christmas Ship Parade along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers
  3. The Miracle of a Million Lights at the Victoria Belle Mansion
  4. Handel’s Messiah performed by the Oregon Symphony and PSU Chamber Choir
  5. Scandinavian Fair at Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum

BTW–I am actually in Utah for the weekend, catching up with the family. So I owe it to everyone to give you a heads up on the things that you should do while in Utah this Christmas season. Here are my top 5:

  1. Candlelight Christmas at This Is The Place Heritage Park
  2. Holiday Central at Thanksgiving Point
  3. Pickleville Playhouse Christmas at The Grand Theater
  4. Holiday Window Display at The Grand America
  5. Temple Square Lights at Temple Square

ENJOY the season! 🙂

So Much To Be Thankful For

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Do you ever have one of those holidays where it is so special that you seem to be misty-eyed the whole live long day? That was me yesterday. I woke up realizing how much I had to be grateful for and I was overwhelmed.

It is too easy to be caught in the day-to-day motions of life. Not only that; it is too easy to be caught up in the frustrations. I have had my share lately and I find myself at night in bed wondering what is wrong with me.

But yesterday morning I woke up really taking in all of my blessings. Like a really good meditation session–you know the kind that you are sure only Buddhist monks have high in the mountains of Asia. The best part was that it has stayed with me ever since. I hope it stays with me for a long time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was lucky enough to spend it with my friend and her family and her dog. We had a wonderful meal, great desserts, conversation and apparently the right climate that all of us took a healthy holiday nap. Nothing gets better than that (except petting the dog for probably 6 hours straight). 🙂

So now I am sitting in my house and staring at a mass cluster of red and green boxes. I can hear each one of them whispering to me that I should open them. I know that in a day my house will be fully decorated for Christmas and I hope with it, the spirit of Christmas will abound. But, I first have the task of creating the magic which means that I am going to need some great Christmas music to work with.

That brings us to the post and not only that but the musical post. So here we are at my top 5 Christmas songs that keep me excited and happy to decorate.

What’s your favorite Christmas song to keep you pumped up for the season?

  1. Brian Setzer: Gettin’ in the Mood (For Christmas)
  2. Gary Walker: Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag
  3. Jewel: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  4. Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
  5. Dean Martin: A Marshmallow World

ENJOY THIS SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR EVERYONE!!

The Drive I Make The Most

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Did everyone know that Thanksgiving is a week away? Crazy right? I can’t believe we are at the holidays and end of this year. What a crazy blessing this year has been in my life. Crazy blessing you may ask? . . . yes, crazy blessing. I have had all the ups and downs a person can handle. I bet we could do a scan and see the whiplash it has caused. 🙂

But keeping with my gratitude of weeks past. Here are 5 things I am grateful for that happened this year.

  1. I am grateful for the short time I spent living and working in Texas.
  2. I am grateful that I moved back to the Pacific Northwest.
  3. I am grateful that I now have a married sister.
  4. I am grateful that the world’s cutest nephew turned 1.
  5. I am grateful for the struggles I endured.

However, I am grateful for one more thing: I am grateful that I live close enough to the people I love that I can visit often which brings me to the real post this week about the places I have been.

I have made the drive between the Pacific Northwest and Utah more times than probably any other drive in my life. (Believe me–I drive a lot) 🙂 So to commemorate yet another trip down I-84 to I-15 and back; I have decided to share with you some interesting facts about some of the places I pass along my way.

On your next drive; learn something new about the places you pass along the way.

  1. Boise, Idaho: I use to live here and I really quite like it. I hear comments all the time about how plain it looks and how it is any wonder why people would live here but I think my fellow Boiseans would agree with me when I say, What are you talking about?” It is a great place and had a job opportunity come up here, I would have taken it.  Quick Fact: Boise has the second largest Basque population in the United States.
  2. Twin Falls, Idaho: I know–this sounds crazy but I did actually live here as well and I really liked it. It is a little out of range from a big city but it is a hub to some great recreation areas. Just ask Demi Moore and Bruce Willis who raised their daughters in the town of Hailey, Idaho not too far away from here. Quick Fact: Even in dusty sagebrush covered southern Idaho there is a drive called the 1000 spring by-way and in the spring you will want to divert and take the scenic route.
  3. Pendleton, Oregon: This city is a welcome relief if you are travelling during the winter and braving the Blue Mountains of Oregon. It either means the worst is behind you or gear up because it will be awhile of slow snow driving. I’m looking forward to it. 🙂 Quick Fact: Pendleton is where the world-famous Pendleton Woolen Mill is located. Fancy a blanket anyone?
  4. Oregon: I decided to include a general fact list on the whole state since this is where I now live and where I spend about 50% of my drive time. Quick Fact: Did you know that one of my favorite places, Sauvie Island is one of the largest river islands in North America?
  5. Utah: I also decided to include a general list on the whole state of Utah since it is where I moved from and where I usually find myself racing to get to the family that I love. Quick Fact: The Sundance Film Festival was not started by Robert Redford but he was the first  board chairman.