Christmas gadgets!

Chinese is on the way, dog is walked, tree is lit, and we're basking in the beauty of Friday :) (Charlie's reading his book, he wanted the world to know. And I'm blogging!)

Tomorrow I'm off to get some Christmas shopping done... I have my list and everything.

It's funny to read about those "hot" items that are flying off the shelves this year. You know, the kind that kids whine in cry that they HAVE to have... like this year's little robotic hamster, Zhu-Zhu. Have you heard of him? Why wouldn't you want to spend $60 on ebay on an $8 robotic hamster that crawls along the floor, glides up ramps and makes a flushing toilet noise when it enters the bathroom?

Ha. Sign me up.

When I was a kid I remember I just had to have a Oopsy Daisy. I was completely hooked by the commercial:

Christmas of 1990, I had my dream baby, opened her up, let her crawl and fall...and then I was...bored. That's all she could do! Her limbs couldn't bend, so you couldn't hold her, or play with her...I don't think Oopise had much fun after the 25th. Doesn't sound too far off from little Zhu, Zhu, now does it?

Now one gift I just can't quite wrap my head around is nook. It's another sold-out item...it's like an i-Pod for books! You can upload any novel you want, and read it in the palm of you hand. I've never seen one up close, and it looks cool...but there is something so liberating to me about being able to hold, touch, and smell (yes, smell) my books. I love fluffing the pages, holding it to the light at night, and writing and highlighting them. Maybe I'll change my mind...does this make me a fogie? LOL.

Happy Friday!! :)

Hump Day, Nut Days

Humpf... rain, cold, and the middle of the week.

On the bright side, we are having our first annual "Nut Party" this weekend, where friends get together and make "nutty" treats! Should be fun. :)

First on the list are caramel turtle candies...yum, yum! I found the recipe online, and they sounded delicious. We bought two small bags of pecans and a "nutcracker" that was on sale. It's much cheaper to buy your nuts shelled than de-nutted (I don't know if my "nut terminology" is up to snuff but you get the idea). Plus, it's much more fun to do it yourself. Reminds me of Spain :) I love the nut displays around the holidays!

Here's the recipe...hopefully it's as easy at it looks....

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 18 soft caramels
• 72 pecan halves (about 1.5 cups)
• 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with aluminum foil and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. (I also read to add wax paper so they don't stick!)

2. Arrange the pecans in clusters of 4 with each pecan pointing in a different direction (like turtle legs).

3. Place a caramel on top of the center of each cluster. Put cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 3-4 minutes, until the caramels have softened and mostly melted over the pecans. The tips of the nuts should still be showing.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool fully.

5. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Spoon the melted chocolate over the cooled caramel, being careful not to cover nut tips.

6. Allow to fully set. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.

Source


I love the internet.

Our vacay...

...on Vimeo!

Here it is! We took a video on the last day of our trip and I finally uploaded it. It was an amazing day...makes me wish we were there all over again...



I <3 the sound of the ocean...

Ugly Jar Update!

I realized that I haven't given the update yet for our "Ugly Jar," if you remember from this post. After a week of tabulating our complaints and counting our negativity, we ended up with around $20 in the jar, mostly due to me (Charlie is so darn positive!). I even tried to "trick" Charlie into complaining by telling him that I purchased a "musical Christmas clock" that plays a Christmas tune every hour on the hour. I knew for a fact that he happens to loathe these "musically destructive" decorations, and I knew he would complain, which he did... and he put a dollar in the jar...and so did I for being sneaky ;)

I have to say, though...it's so easy in our lives to complain about little things, the smallest details of an inconvenience that come up in life-- a traffic jam, a late appointment, a missing pen, an un-charged i-pod when you can really use some music. I was diligent with tracking my complaints...I think it helped me (especially) a better and all-around happier person. I don't think I'm an avid complainer, as I try to see the joy of life, but being a teacher, there are difficult days, and it's easy to find faults with the "system". However, being more conscious of my words was a step toward being more thankful for the blessings that we do have--which are plentiful and something to celebrate. I think we could all use a little of that this Thanksgiving.

We decided to put the money toward the Angel Tree at my school. It's an easy assumption that many of the students were I teach are affluent...which just isn't so. There are students who attend school who don't have much food (if any) at home, take care of their brothers and sisters late at night, and don't have much this Christmas. I see many of them being my school's "translator." This is our way to give back in a place where our love is needed, and where we will see our gifts make a difference. It's true what they say...giving and loving feels good! :)


Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38

The end...

...to a perfect day. And perfect vacation for that matter. Today was picturesque beach weather: low 70s, lots of sunshine, and a very light breeze. We spent about 6 hours on the beach today, smoothing on the sunscreen every few hours, books in hand. We didn't want it to end!

We spent 3 of those hours at Venice beach, which actually had its perks compared to the beach out front. Siesta sand retains water, and because of it's white color, all of the rain made it very cold and compact-- like a brick! Venice beach had warm, fluffy sand and was hardly crowded at all. The three of us ran along the beach, sat under our umbrella when it got too hot (I know, such a complaint, right?) and absorbed our last day of healing relaxation.

Tomorrow is a big day. We'll wake up at 6, leave by 7, and join the thousands of travelers making their way back home from family and vacation. I plan on lesson planning in the car when I'm not driving. At least we have a sandy mess in the back seat to remember our trip by :)

My hands still smell like shrimp and fish from an amazing Captain Curts dinner tonight... I think I'll be full for days.

Perfect Evening :)

I had to jump on and post this...we had the most perfect sunset tonight. It was cooling off as the sun went down (into the mid 60s). But Charlie and I stole a moment on the beach, just the two of us, where we got engaged, to watch the water-colored sky and the sun sink behind the horizon.

My hand at sand art! :)

Sun, wind, and surf.

Today was was a refreshing, windy beach day. It was much colder than yesterday, only in the low 70s with a brisk wind. It was perfect for a light shirt and swimming trunks! We spent several hours at Venice beach. We even let Luna off her leash and trusted her for the first time not to run away. She did great.


Here are some pictures of our day...