Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm so happy to be home for Thanksgiving break and very thankful too! On Thanksgiving my mom and I went to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It was our second year going and I had fun! It was a little chilly, squishy with all the people, but it was all totally worth it. We got great spots this year and we deserved them since we left our house at 4:30!! There were some famous people in the parade I got to see including: Scotty Mccreey, Mary J. Blidge, Cee Lo Green, Neil Diamond, Avril Lavigne, Cobra Starship, and lots of cartoon characters. Also, there were lots of bands, floats, and of course GIANT Balloons! We arrived back home early afternoon and rested a little before our delicious Thanksgiving meal. We had turkey (of course!), macaroni and cheese, squash/apple salad, stuffing, and pecan pie for dessert. I will probably share some recipes of these because everything was so good! Happy Thanksgiving to you :)

Cee Lo Green 

Cobra Starship

Candy, Candy, and more Candy

I made all of my Christmas candy today to share with friends and family. I made four types of candy and two types of cookie/cracker. It took me several hours, but I enjoyed every minute! Check it all out!

All the yummy-ness!

1. Vanilla + raisins

2. Peppermint Bark = vanilla + crushed peppermints 

3. Green Vanilla Christmas trees and lights (melted chocolate and put into molds)

4. Heath + chocolate

5. Peanut Butter Cookies (click here for recipe)

6. Chocolate covered peanut butter crackers

Diet Coke Brownies, what?

I've been having a lot of fun lately looking on Pinterest and I can't get enough of it! I have been finding some cool ideas for food, crafts, and fashion. One recipe that I found on Pinterest is Diet Coke Brownies. I couldn't believe it when I saw it because it says the only ingredients are a box of brownies and a can of Diet Coke. So, I had to try it, right? Over the weekend, my friend Erin and I made them. They were "chocolatety" and gooey as ever (with that Diet Coke twist). You should try it yourself.

Ingredients:
1 Box of Brownies (13X9 pan size)
1 can of Diet Coke

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the ingredient together. You may have to let it sit for a minute between stirs because it bubbles up a lot. When completely mixed together, add to a non-stick sprayed 13 X 9 pan. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Stick a toothpick to check and make sure it's cooked all the way through. Enjoy :)

The Adventures of Sean and Allison

This weekend was a lot of fun! I went to Cincinnati with my friend Erin to babysit my two cousins, Sean and Allison  Sean is 4 and Allison is 2. We were playing almost the whole time, from play-dough, to chasing them around the house to playing hide-and-seek. They were so cute and really good for us. We made a caterpillar cake for their mom's birthday. It was the same cake that I made with them last time I watched them. They loved to eat the icing and sprinkles more than they liked decorating. It was great to see them and I'm hoping I will get to see them again soon!

Finished caterpillar

Mmmm....yummy icing

Cheesin'

Sean and I had lots of fun with the YOUCAM

Feliz Navidad (muy temprano)

Geeze, it seems like just a few weeks ago I was updating my blog like every other day, and now it's almost been a week since I've posted anything last. Well today, I want to say a early Feliz Navidad or Merry Christmas!


Tuesday, there was an organization Christmas tree decorating contest. The Spanish Club had a tree and we had a lot of fun decorating in our ugly sweaters. Although we didn't win, I thought we had the best tree! How did we decorate it? Let me tell you:
Silver garland
Chili pepper ornaments
Christmas colored ball ornaments with Spanish Christmas words
Soft tortillas cut into snowflakes with glitter
Coffee bean frames with pictures of famous Hispanics
Big Red with a poncho, mustache, and sombrero
Poinsettias


We had a good time (like Spanish Club always does!) :)


Enjoy the pictures

Bigotes (mustaches)

Awesome tree!

The girls with Big Red

El Grupo

Matt Wertz - Everything's Right

I like this song! It comes up on my Pandora a lot. I thought I'd share it with you :)

Semester Madness

ONLY TWO WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING!!! I keep telling this to myself because I have so much going on. I have 5 projects/papers/presentations due after Thanksgiving Break. So now until finals I might feel like I will have no life. All but one is a group project so it's hard to find time and get everything coordinated. I enjoy all my classes this semester, but I'm sure going to be glad when all this work is over!

I'm excited for Thanksgiving because:
1. Get to see my family (since August!)
2. Home-cooked food
3. Making Christmas candy
4. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC!! :)
5. Shopping (Possibly?)
6. Time to sit, relax, and take a deep breath.
7. Sleeping in

Things I don't want to think about:
1. Audiology paper and presentation
2. Phonetics paper and presentation
3. Normal Language observation, interview, video, and presentation
4. Anatomy presentation
5. Spanish Debate

Plus all the final exams...geeze!

I know I will make it. I just need to pace myself, fit in some fun, and pray. I'm praying for all those other college students out there as well.

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like A Love Song

I'm not a huge fan of Selena Gomez, but I can't get enough of this song!

Saints and Souls

Yesterday was the Feast of All Saints and today is the Feast Day of  All Souls. I went to mass both days and learned more about each one. I was able to spend extra time with God and praying. I found this article from Catholic Online that shares Pope Benedict's address on All Saints Day. I thought it was very thought provoking and I thought I would share some of it with you....


"Today we venerate this countless community of All Saints, who, through their different walks of life, show us different paths to holiness, united by a common denominator: to follow Christ and adhere to Him, the ultimate goal of our human life. In fact, all states of life may become, by the action of grace and with the commitment and perseverance of each one of us, a path to sanctification. " (Addressing All Saints)

"The Commemoration of All Souls, tomorrow, November 2nd, helps us to remember our loved ones who have left us, and all the souls on their way to the fullness of life, on the horizon of the Heavenly Church, which today's solemnity holds on high.

"From the early days of the Christian faith, the Church on earth, recognizing the communion of the whole mystical body of Jesus Christ, has honored the memory of the dead with great respect and paid suffrage to them. Our prayer for the dead is not only useful but necessary, because it not only can help them, but at the same time renders effective their intercession on our behalf." (Addressing All Souls)