Warmest Christmas Wishes

i hope everyone is safe with family and friends tonight. there seems to be a doozy of a winter storm hitting much of the country.

my family was lucky to have my friend, sam, and her 19 month old son, eli, with us for Christmas tonight. we haven't had a kid at Christmas since my sister, bethany, & i were kids. he's such a cute little bundle of energy and know so many words...although the biggest laugh of the night was when he couldn't remember to say "bethany", so he pointed at her and said "bathroom". so cute.

here's a little rendition of the infamous Hallelujah Chorus. it's stinkin' hilarious...don't worry it gets better after the minute or two (believe me, it will be worth the wait). enjoy!

No Peeking...

just a few blogs in, and i'm already breaking promises (ok, ok, you could at least pretend to be really disappointed...even though you could probably care less).

i said i would be posting some great diy gift ideas, but then i started thinking that most of these are gifts for family & friends. i'd hate to spoil the surprise. so instead i'm posting links with multiple ideas listed...i have used a few ideas from each of these:

Not Martha - this girl is amazing. clear defined easy steps. i love how she gets an idea, and then tests and tries to find a way to make it happen:

A Do-It-Yourself Christmas - some wonderful ideas. my frugal mindset loves these.

Living the Swell Life - Jessica is a friend of mine from high school. i've always been {lovingly} envious of her creativity, craftiness, and overall sweet personality. Check out her post from last year for a cute gift for a music lover.

after the jingle bells have rung and the Christmas tree has been rocked, i will let you know which of these i acutally made...complete with photos, things that worked (or didn't work) and much more!

Breathtaking

it's snowing out, and it's utterly beautiful. i'm cuddled up, sipping my hot cocoa, and watching the snow pile up on the sidewalks, the road, and my car. i know i should be asleep (especially since i will need to be up and brushing this snow off my car at 4 am), but i just can't stop watching it. it's so mesmerizing. there is just something so calm and serene about the first big snowfall of the year.

it reminds me of my high school/college days and how much i'm missing my friends this year. if i could, i'd gather all my friends up and we'd take a midnight walk down grover rd {the long driveway leading to Immanuel ~ my high school and college ~ see pics below}. we'd admire the snow-capped trees, talk about trivial things, and then cuddle up in laura's bed watch a Christmas movie, and eat cranberry bliss bars from starbucks.

(photos stolen from: www.ilc.edu/tour.htm, check it out for a better pic)

since this isn't possible this year, i'm just praying for each of you to have a wonderful Christmas and hoping that i see you all soon. miss you.

i'll be posting some great diy gift ideas soon. i'm on a tight budget and have been searching for ideas that are meaningful/useful to the receiver and yet be something that i can make with my limited artistic abilities. anybody have any ideas?

Blessed

i know i'm a day late, but yesterday was a whirlwind of activities. my alarm went off at 4:15 am so that i could be up and to work by 5:45 am. i know most people would complain about working on a holiday, but i truly enjoy it. first of all, it's slow and i don't have any meetings, which means i can get tons of work done. i also get the chance to just spend time with my team, goof off a little, and get to know them better. this is something that i as manager, hardly get a chance to do

so back to thanksgiving. here's my list of thankfuls:

• my Savior, my God, my faith - i cannot even put into words how thankful i am for all the He has done for me
• my family for their continual support (including delaying eating so i could work)
• my friends - far & near: we don't see each other often, but i treasure every moment that we get a chance to talk, see each other, or even facebook chat
• my job & co-workers: for the 1st time in my life, i have a job that i love. it just seems to fit. the best part is the amazing group of people i work with
• my car - it's been 6 1/2 years Ruby, and i can't believe you're still running. please don't be offended if i replace you next year. i will always love you. you're my first car
• being able to escape into a different life, time, person, story...being able to read

hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! i'd love to hear what you are thankful for.

Thinking Outside the Box...

my sis and i have always been a fan of mac-&-cheese. seriously, you should see us at old country buffet when the mac-&-cheese is out. that may be all that hits our plates!

but when it comes to making it, i've only made the boxed variety. don't get me wrong, it's delicious, but it pales in comparison to the creamy, delicious goodness that i know mac-&-cheese can be.

since my sis was coming over for dinner, i thought i'd attempt the homemade version of our favorite. i even shredded the cheese myself. i do have to say, it was quite tasty.

i found a recipe on bettycrocker.com, and modified it a little to give it some kick!

3 cups uncooked rotini noodles

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups milk

2 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (like the pizza topping!)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs (if you don't have any, take the heel from a loaf of bread, crumble it up and spread it on a pan...bake for about 3-5 min at 285 degrees)

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated or powder)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1) preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease an 11x7 pan.

2) prepare noodles according to directions (boil & drain). once drained, return to pot, stir-in sour cream, and cover to keep in heat.

3) in a 2-quart sauce pan, whisk together milk, flour, mustard, onion, seasoning salt, and red & black pepper. while stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil and allow to thicken. once boiling remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese until cheese is melted. add cheese sauce to the noodles and stir. pour noodles and sauce into the pan.

4) in a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, & oil. sprinkle over the top of the mac-&-cheese. slide it into the center rack of your oven.

5) set timer for 20 min. sneak into the living room, grab your favorite book, and relax until the buzzer!

hello world!

it's me...dana.

when i was little girl (you know the Barbie & tea party days), I used to know exactly how my life was going to play out. this plan wasn't questioned or created out of logic. it was just the way it was gonna be.

see in my girlview this is how the story goes:

i'd grow up and go to college. graduate and teach for a couple of years. marry. have a quiver full of children. spend my time as housewife baking, making meatloaf, sewing, & cleaning. my friends & i would gather our kids together for little playdates.

yes...pretty much a scene from every 50s TV show.

needless to say, at the age of 24...i've realized that this scene isn't quite playing out the way i had hoped. i'm not marred...heck, i don't even date. i don't sew {i have the artistic ability of a 3 year old}. i have a job that i love & wouldn't give up for the world. i clean...er...um...sometimes. i have yet to graduate from college.

so it's time to adapt my childhood dreams. make them work for where God has me now. for anybody reading...i'm starting my battle to conquer the domestic abilities i always dreamed i'd have. i may not have that happy little family of my own, but i can still do what i want to do. so my knitting may not the greatest, but who cares. i made it. ok, that was a hypothetical thought. i honestly don't knit. but i can try to learn it.

so, here, my friends, is what you can expect from this blog:

• recipes - i do love to cook and bake and it is something i pride myself on
• cleaning tips - what works, what doesn't
• links i love - from those who are in the learning battle with me and from those who have already conquered domesticity
• my successes and failures {and everything inbetween}
• book reviews
• inspirations

Have suggestions for what I can do? Have a good domestic tip? Let me know! I'll take all the help I can get. :)