Decorated cupcakes!

I can't believe I didn't get an image!!!!
ARGH!!!

And the cupcakes got eaten.

I love decorating some cookies but cupcakes were another story....thanks to my cake decorating class I had an adventure....the lid of my carrier smashed them.

It is checked off the list...and not a repeat.

First student loan

This one sucked.

I had to start paying student loans the beginning of this year.

Tragic

Asian dressing

So our favorite teppenyaki place has the most amazing salad dressing.

Yes I am THAT person....I choose where I eat based off of a salad or two....kinda sad but still AMAZING I am a sucker for super good dressing, especially a copy cat from a good restaurant.  So as i was browsing through Pinterest I saw a similar recipe for this.

It took some carrots, ginger, and a few random spices, and I threw it all in the blender.  It is sweet and tasty tasty good.  I chilled it for a day and let the flavors mix, it has been a couple days since I have made it but I haven't really tried it yet....I have this thing where I am trying to eat more salad. We will see how it goes.

Healthy coconut bread

So the recipe that I started with a while ago I started to get going again and try some healthy substitutes.

I put in some lovely lovely coconut sugar
and subbed half the butter for coconut oil (that recipe had a TON of butter!)
added a little extra almond meal instead of flour and used some white whole wheat flour.

A little better for us and still pretty darn tasty....with more coconut flavor!

Rolling bag

By the time they came out with rolling backpacks I was well over the age of it being acceptable to use a rolling back pack.  I have of course used rolling luggage many times, but that is always acceptable in an airport.

My habit has officially changed. I was realllllly tired of carrying around a fairly large (heavy and awkward) laptop bag for my work stuff.  The best thing about this, my mom has had more pieces of suitcase type stuff than I have had purses....so when she recently upgraded I got the rolling briefcase.  I still feel nerdy, but the fact that I don't have a bag on each arm, didn't have to BUY new luggage, and get to have a free hand for coffee?

PERFECTION

Thanks mom!

Vanilla fragrance

Little known fact about me: I have a special love for home fragrance, especially this time of year. There is something amazing and relaxing about having a great smelling house in the winter.

So as I was browsing through Pinterest the other day I saw an idea. Take an oven proof container (I used a small Pyrex) put in some vanilla extract. (I got a huge bottle at Costco so I ha it)
Then I popped it in the oven an turned th oven on to 300 degrees ad went about my evening.

Granted I have been going crazy lately, I feel like with the aslogh rain and our Molly pop that it smells like wet dog around here, and I am sensitive about it so anything simple and amazing to make my house smell delightful? All over it!
That being said I also have a few oil warmers burning around my house, but the vanilla smells delightful!

Christmas lights

I love Christmas, and I love decorating for Christmas. Growing up we were usually gone for at least a week over Christmas, and so we always had a fake tree and fairly minimal decorations. Also my dad dislikes decorations because he says they look cluttered.

My husband and I had our first live tree two years ago...it was a miserable experience.

So this year we have a fake tree back. It is also the first year for my husband and I that is is logical to have lights up outside. Honestly? I had mixed feelings, will they look cool? And I REALLY didn't want to spend money on lights. When we raided those 'cluttered' decorations there were four boxes of icicle lights so Matt spent Saturday hanging up the lights.