2011...A Quick Review

This past year was certainly been filled with ups and downs, but all in all it has been a good year because I survived it all!  I will miss 2011 and all the good times it provided me but I am so ready for a new year like never before!  So here are the goods (ups) and bads (downs) of my year, 2011:

Goods:

• Started a blog to keep people in the loop regarding my life
• Began taking fitness classes at the gym at school
• Met and began dating Brian
• Finished my second year of college
• Went to Nampa, ID for the first time
• Got to ride my horse nearly everyday during the summer
• Boated on the Columbia River for the first time
• Moved into my first apartment with my best friend, Laura
• Got an apartment pet, a fire bellied toad
• Started my junior year of college
• Turned 21
• Got my own gun...a BB gun
• Hosted a farm Thanksgiving
• New football coach at WSU
• Finished fall semester with really good grades
• Got done with finals week really early, which meant more time at home for the holidays
• Caught up with the times by getting a smartphone
• Family, friends, food on the table, and a roof over my head

Bads:

• School starting after winter break last January
• 20 inches of snow in 24 hours and I had to work and go to school that day
• Summer break ending
• Living away from my family and Brian
• Family health problems

By making this list, I can easily say that 2011 was a pretty darn good year for me!  2012 has big shoes to fill but I know it and I can do it!  Happy early new year!

My Favorite (Easy) Recipes From 2011

Pretzel Hugs

• A Hershey's kiss melted between two pretzels
• http://cookiesandcups.com/pretzel-hugs/

People Pleasing Cinnamon Rolls

• An easy to roll dough with good texture and flavor once baked
• Can serve a small army
• http://www.bhg.com/recipe/sweet-rolls/people-pleasing-cinnamon-rolls/

Simple Shrimp Scampi

• Simple, fast, and tasty
• Good over rice
• http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Simple-Shrimp-Scampi

No Bake Cookies

• Chocolaty
• My friends' favorite cookie that I bake
• http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Bake-Cookies-I/Detail.aspx

I love cooking and baking and trying new things!  These are a few of my favorites from the past year that I have made multiple times...sometimes more than once in a week!  I've sure enjoyed making them and eating them, and I hope you do too!  Also, never be afraid to throw random stuff in the crock pot! 

Christmas 2011

My most favorite time of year, Christmas, has come and gone once again.  It was a nice quiet time with lots of tasty goodies, visits with family and friends, and a big beautiful tree!  Treats, visits, and the tree are my favorite parts of Christmas!

These are the treats my mom, sister, and I baked together to share with our neighbors.  We made two types of brittle (peanut and cashew), Russian tea cakes, frosted sugar cookies, fudge, and a chocolate chewy bar.  All were quite yummy.  The cinnamon rolls I made for my family's Christmas breakfast were also wonderful!

This was our tree this holiday season.  It was around 12 feet tall and once in the stand with an angel on top it was near 13 feet.  We love big trees!  This one was a beauty as usual.  We kept the decorating quite simple and pretty this year by decorating it with multi colored lights, a red beaded garland, a silver garland, and old fashioned shiny ball ornaments. We sure enjoyed it!

I got several wonderful gifts this Christmas, and my favorite are:

Victoria Secret eye makeup

Taste of Home cookbook

Betty Crocker cookbook

Jewelry from Brian

Shower head for my apartment shower

and Being with my family!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mid December Update

Well its been too long since I last posted, but I've been busy wrapping up this semester and coming home.  The last two and half weeks of the semester flew by and all my finals went really well.  I am so anxious to see my grades, though.  I check to see if they've been posted like every hour because I have a feeling that I'm going to have good grades.  I just want to see how I did!

Although I was busy cruising through the last couple weeks of school, my roommate, Laura, and I managed to find some time to have our own little Christmas.  We went out for dinner, took pictures with our Christmas tree, watched a movie, and opened a couple little gifts.  It was sooooo much fun and such a nice evening together!

Now Christmas is nearing along with a new year!  I'm having such a good time wrapping presents, shopping, and baking. It's also super nice to be home with my family and taking a short, sweet break from school!