And....Back

And we are back at school. Well, I am at least. The last Winter/Holiday Break of my undergraduate career is over....that's a slap in the face. That means that I'm almost done and I really need to have fun this January term (interim/J-term) and upcoming semester (which starts in February). In essence, I'm back on campus, not quite unpacked fully yet, still have about half my clothing to unpack and about all of my food to unpack...progress? Anywho! Just wanted to say that I am still alive! :D And tomorrow marks the start of the last January term!!! I will update you tomorrow, when I am more awake and have a cappuccino or oatmeal (yes I still eat it) in my system!
I am also playing with the idea of thank you cards for some people who got me particularly memorable gifts, or who I think deserve one (for instance my parentals who have honestly gotten too few thank you notes and letters from me in the past!).
Also, it's time for me to start working out more regularly since I don't have finals to keep me from keeping in shape :P I have been quite lazy in the past two months or so since Thanksgiving, and I really could use some daily exercise in my routine. I'm hoping to get up to my 5K possibility again by then end of this month, or next month if it turns out this class is more work that I was prepared for.
That's just a quick update :) I hope that the new year has started out well for all of you! :D
Love,
Sara :)

Date Night

For those of you who haven't figured it out, Matt and I are dating, a few months now, but since we spend most of our time in different states, it does make that whole dating thing a bit difficult at times :P But tonight we went on a fun date to a local bowling alley. We went there with the intention of playing 2 games and ended up playing almost 7! It turns out that tonight was a Thunder Bowling. This means that for $11 per person, groups can bowl as many times as they want for 2 hours starting at 9 pm. Since we got there at 8:45 pm we just started a little early (we got lost cause I forgot where the bowling alley was :P) and ended a little early as well. We had a blast! For the first few games we bowled normally, meaning neither of us ever scored over 124, but for our last one and a half games we tried bowling with our non-dominant hands, which was quite entertaining, or going granny style. Although we didn't score even 50 points on that game, it was still worth it in my opinion because we had a lot of fun doing it and were laughing nearly the entire time!

What are some of your favorite things to do/places to go for dates or when you go out with friends?

Happy Friday :D

Love,

Sara :)

Hamburger Cookies

Alright, I'm not sure how many of you have heard about these wonderful inventions called hamburger cookies. I was introduced to these little cookies by Matt on Christmas Eve day! They are pretty simple to make and also very cute, perfect for the holidays or pretty much any other occasion you could think of! The overall rating is that they are better than regular burgers :P

The ingredients are simple: vanilla wafers, chocolate covered mint cookies (girl scout thin mints are best), vanilla frosting (to be dyed red), coconut shavings (the kind that we sometimes put on top of cupcakes and the like, to be dyed green), and green and red food dyes.

To create the "lettuce" and "ketchup": Take about half a container of vanilla frosting and add a few drops of red food coloring (it is more pink, but that's alright, you can't have everything) which will make your "ketchup"/glue. For the "lettuce", take about half or more of a bag of coconut shavings and add just 2 or 3 drops of green food coloring (it is strong stuff) and combine them in a ziplock bag, close the bag, and shake it up until all the coconut shavings are a light green color. You can leave some parts white if you want it to seem more like iceberg lettuce, or dye it a darker green for a shredded spinach look, it's completely up to you!

To combine and create a hamburger:
1- Take one vanilla wafer and spread it with a thin layer of your "ketchup" on the flat side.
2- Set one mint cookie on top for your "burger patty"
3- Spread another layer of "ketchup"
4- Add in a pinch of your "lettuce", or until you are satisfied with the amount
5- Take another vanilla wafer cookie and spread the flat side with "ketchup" (the ketchup on this layer is optional, if your burger will stay together without it, then it isn't needed, but we might have added a bit too much lettuce and needed some extra glue to hold it all together)
6- Place this second wafer cookie on top of the lettuce and Ta Da! You have a hamburger cookie!

For a visual reference, check the picture below. I did not get any pictures of actually making the cookies, but I can assure you that if you have more than one person it goes by very quickly, we were able to make two platefuls (about 18 cookies each plate) in under an hour. Best part: NO BAKING INVOLVED! This is a perfect last minute cookie idea!

What we are trying to come up with now are variations on this burger. I mean burgers are awesome, but what about adding cheese? Or two thin mints as a double burger? We haven't come up with anything to use for the cheese, any suggestions from readers? I'd really appreciate it, and promise to try it out and report my findings :P

Well I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, or a wonderful past few days. We've been running around visiting family and friends for the past few days so it's been a little nuts, and I'm taking whatever time I can to blog and/or craft. I'm currently working on a few ideas for New Years that I will share when I finish at least one of them! I am also now back at my grandma's house so there may or may not be a post about the neat things around her house tomorrow or something.

As always, your replies are always appreciated and more than welcome! Happy Hump Day! :D

Love,

Sara :)

Musica Monday

Hey all!
Happy Christmas Eve Day!! That is for those of you who do celebrate Christmas, for those of you who don't, we'll I hope that you are having a wonderful night and I will say that I a going to post one of my favorite holiday songs for this time of year. I will also have an update about what my family is doing for Christmas!
First, the music. I present to you actually a piece that I heard for the first time a few years ago. It's by a group called Relient K, and yes it is a Christian rock band, but they do have a unique sound that I have found that I enjoy!

I am a fan of the way that they sort of play with this song and I enjoy the way they make fun of it because I remember thinking the same thoughts about what the gifts were. I hope that you enjoy your holiday season and I wish you all a happy season.

I would also like to put I that my sister and I have two things noteworthy for this holiday season. First, in place of excess gifts, our parents have given both of use some money to spend on a charity (charities) of our choice. I am currently coming up with places where I would spend said money. Granted these funds are not endless, but they are enough for 3 or 4 donations. The places I am coming up with now include: ASPCA, Pencils of Promise, Church World Service, and a website called Kiva.com (which you should check out!). I am open to  recommendations. I feel that the holidays should be more of a time to help those who need and to reach out than to be more centered around ourselves, but that's just my opinion :) whatever that is worth! :P If you we're given money to donate what would your  top 3 charities be?

Second, my sister and I decided to make the majority of our cards this year! It was a lot of fun and I forgot how much I actually missed doing this sort of thing.

These were the end results of what we made  (not all of them, but the first few). It would be really neat to be able to create cards as a part-time career and to give everyone I know a handmade and original card but I would have no idea of where to start because it is n area in which I have little to no experience. But it for sure would be an adventure!

Well that's all I got for now! Again happy holidays to everyone and enjoy the musica Monday :D

Love,

Sara :)

Night at Grandma's House

As is customary during the holiday season, we visit my grandmother up near Lacrosse, Wisconsin. She has a oldish house, my grandfather built, that's on land that has been used as a tree farm by my grandpa for their whole time living here. It is a very pretty place, set in the middle of the woods as a setting of mystery and a feeling of slight magic and still, for a suburb kid such as myself, a bit of fear of the unknown of what I will find out here. But for now I shall concentrate on the pretty parts which include some really neat vintage style items she has up in the attic part, or where I sleep :)
Since I was little I have been intrigued by many of the seemingly old and strange and different things my grandma has collected over time. From old clocks to books to furniture style to plates and a dollhouse that we used to pretend to play in as children. I've always enjoyed her collections, which are scattered throughout her house, giving it a sort of mystical feel to it. This feeling tells me that no matter where we are or how small we feel we are in the world, it's the little things that make a place magical :)

Someday I will ask grandma to tell me more about these items that I have seen since I was a little girl, but until then, it shall remain to my imagination to come up with the answer! What kinds of places do you guys know of that have a history of their own? Do you know the history? You should ask and learn, as I will when people are awake :P

Happy Saturday!

Love,

Sara :)

P.S. The hunt is on for a new car that I should be able to pay off in the next 4 years or so, so one that will last! Any suggestions? So far my favorite is a Mini Cooper :D

Update

Hey guys, so I'm home finally! I mean the reason I haven't been posting is because I was in a car accident on my way home on Tuesday! My car, Jordan, is (most likely) gonna be totaled and sent off for scraps :(, on the other hand, no one was hurt in the accident :D.
What happened was we hit a patch of black ice (meaning ice we didn't see until it was too late), and spun at least once or twice before hitting another car that had already hit the guardrail, we proceeded to bounce off that car before running into the guardrail, both cars facing traffic. There's not much I can say other than I'm really glad that no one in either car was hurt! It really gives this holiday season a lot more of a special feeling knowing that it was because of my car being so well put together, and being designed so that the passengers would be able to get up and walk away, that we were all able to get out unscathed. I mean a few bumps, bruises, and stiff neck/shoulders, and plenty of adrenaline (right at first that is), but no broken bones or big scrapes. We were all very VERY lucky!
I hope that you all are staying safe in this snow! Remember to be happy and celebrate what you have and what you are grateful for having! :D
Love,
Sara :)

Musica Monday

Alrighty folks, I am currently on a feel good high due to having just finished a final that I feel quite confident about, and the fact that all I have left is a final history final which is going to be an essay. So, in essence I'm feeling pretty good right now. In that light, I will now present you with a music monday that goes along with a pleasure of mine, anime. Don't judge or anything, actually, if you want to you can judge, that's fine. I have enjoyed the fantasy of several different anime shows, one of the latest being called "Angel Beats!". I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might watch it, but in general it concerns a sort of afterlife area where kids who have had bed childhoods end up and what goes on there concerning a specific group. I would recommend it, it's not too long, 13 episodes total I believe. But this song is one of my favorite anime openings, it's called 'My Soul, Your Beats' by Lia, and yes it is in Japanese. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite show opening songs? Care to share? Do any of you watch anime or cartoons that you really enjoy?
Happy Monday!
Love,
Sara :)