Countdown to Christmas...

Our tree is up! I even bought a couple Christmas candles so our apartment smells like a fresh Christmas tree (and apple cinnamon).
Mitch is so sweet and he lights the tree every day right before I get home from work. I think he knows it automatically puts me in a great mood.
We're not really stocked up on Christmas decorations yet but our apartment is small enough it doesn't take much to make it ready for the holidays. Thanks to Mitch's sweet mom we have cute wooden blocks to line our would be fireplace (but actually our window sill since we don't have a fire place yet). We liked them so much they've been up since Mitch's birthday on November 16th, seriously breaking the rule of "no Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving." Oh well, happy holidays!

BORSCHT ... [bawrsht]

–noun: any of various eastern European soups made with beets, cabbage, potatoes, or other vegetables and served hot or chilled, often with sour cream.
IT'S SO GOOD!
Mitch and I made it last week and it makes tons. He ate it a lot in Ukraine where he served his mission. It's a great cold weather soup so if your hungry for something warm and delicious I'd be happy to give you the recipe. Don't be scared of the beet either.

Tagged by my Sis...

My sister Natalie tagged me. Unfortunately you can't all see her blog but she really did. If you are tagged, you must copy and paste the questions post them on your blog and then tag 6 more people. Go to their blog and notify them that they have been tagged and tell them to go to your blog for details.

Someone gives you money and sends you into the grocery store to pick up 4 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?

1. Produce: red potatoes
2. Bakery: cinnamon raisin bagels
3. Meat: steak
4. Frozen: ice cream

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. warm cardigan
2. comfy pants (basically some sort of pj's or work-out pants)
3. v-neck shirt

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. "American Family Insurance this is Emilie..."
2. "Yay, I'm home."
3. "Wil you bring me my chapstick?"
4. "I feel like something chocolate."
5. "Let's play battleship."

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Cuddle up to Mitch on the couch
2. Look at my and my friends blogs (kinda sad I know :o)
3. Get a piece of candy from the jar at work

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Bake something sweet.
2. Read a book
3. Take a bath
4. Read the online news
5. Blog and email

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Dolphins
2. Monkeys
3. Giraffes
(exactly the same as my sister)

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. The Office
2. Colbert Report
3. David Letterman
4. Oprah (she's always giving away free stuff)

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Mud Pie
2. Cookies & Cream
3. Heavenly Hash

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Burt's Bees pomegranate chapstick
2. Black wallet
3. Spearmint Orbit gum
4. AmFam keys
5. Tan daily planner

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Artist
2. Interpreter
3. Clothing designer
4. yeah I don't really know, I kinda just want to be a mom.


If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Save even more of your money, you'll be glad you did.
2. Spend more time with your family.
3. Keep drawing.
4. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I tag Lauren, Sondra, Kim N., Melody, Lindsey White & Wendy.

Battleship...

Lately one of my favorite things to do with Mitch is play Battleship. Our game doesn't make explosion noises like some of the new ones do but we still love it. Sometimes I feel like a little kid when I find little pieces of the game in the couch cushions. It's a perfect two player game for those evenings you just want to stay in the warmth of your home and drink hot chocolate. I love this picture of Mitch and I playing at the table one morning. He's so cute!

P.S. Mitch happens to be really good at battleship. He beats me 90% of the time. Somehow he is always able to find my ships. Any advice? I really need help with my strategy.

Our First Thanksgiving...well not exactly

This is actually our second Thanksgiving together but last year we ordered Chinese take-out so I don't think it really counts. This year we decided to be more traditional and cook our own turkey. I'll be honest it was a lot easier than I expected (probably because Mitch did most of the work, but still).
Mitch is a fabulous chef: the turkey was moist, the gravy was just right, and the mashed potatoes were perfect (nice and buttery).
We only had one problem, I accidently thawed the frozen Sarah Lee Pumpkin pie we bought and then flipped it over and spilled out all the pie (notice why Mitch did all the cooking :o) Luckily we were able to make it to Macy's before they closed and by and pre-made one. It was delicious.

What gets me through the cold weather...

There's so many good hot chocolates out there but this is my new official favorite: Chocolate Cinnamon. The nice thing about this flavor is that you don't even have to buy the fancy stuff. You can just add a little cinnamon to you're plain hot chocolate. I definitely recommend it.
In general I just love Christmas drinks. I can drink hot cider or wassail all day.
Do any of you have any great recipes for homemade wassail? I made some last year but it was super sour. I would love any tips.

My Inner European...

I suppose I am a Peterson now?!?!

Your Inner European is Swedish!

Relaxed and peaceful. You like to kick back and enjoy life.

Who's Your Inner European?

Best Prank Ever...

Honestly, you've got to see this! Go to http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4183967147021677751
Or just go to google.com and type in "Best Prank Ever" and the video will come up. It's hilarious.

Freecycle...

Most cities across the nation have implemented some sort of method in order to promote recycling. I'm a big fan but there is so much more to recycling then just old soda pop cans and peanut butter jars.

While browsing MSNBC I came across an article listing "7 items you didn't know you could recycle."
These items include: 1. Athletic Shoes 2. "Techno-Trash"-VHS tapes, game cartridges, digital cameras, MP3 players, cords, cables, cassettes — not to mention bigger items like VCRs and computer monitors. 3. Computers 4. Matresses 5. Handheld devices-old cell phones, pagers and PDAs 6. Dry-cleaning hangers and plastic 7. Soiled glass and plastic.

The great thing about most of these objects is that you can bring them to many local stores. Drop your handheld devices off at any Staples store. Dell will recycle any Dell product for free, and if you buy a new Dell, they’ll recycle any other brand of computer for free. Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Apple and Toshiba also have recycling programs — check their Web sites for details.

Lastly, everything else you can give away for free. Think how many people could benefit from the items thrown away daily just because we're sick of them or because we bought something better newer. If it's still usable, donate it on Craigslist (post the item for free) or go to The Freecycle Network and share your items with the world.
I love their mission statement:
"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."
Can't go wrong there!

Welcome November...

Fall is my favorite. For all the obvious reasons: the leaves are changing, the weather is crisp, Thanksgiving break, etc.
Here's are all the reason's I'm looking forward to November this year:
-Mitch's Birthday- Mitch is one of those guys that is really difficult to shop for because he never really wants anything (and if he does, he'd rather be the one to get it so it's exactly what he wants). This is nice for our budget but difficult when it comes to gifts and holidays. This year, Mitch picked out his own birthday gifts, bought them a month early and now all I have to do is wrap them. I still may come up with a couple little surprises for him but I'm really excited to be getting him exactly what he wants this year.
-Two delicious, untraditional Thanksgiving dinner's- one with my great friend Lauren at Tucano's (can't go wrong there) and another with Mitch, probably Chinese take-out. Although this won't be a permanent alternative to Thanksgiving, I really enjoy just spending the day with Mitch, not worrying about cooking, and having delicious Asian cuisine.
-Getting a real paycheck- Atlas hasn't paid me since Sept. so now that I've started my new job, my first pay day is November 2nd. A great way to start the new month-with money!
-3 days off school- Even though I still have to work I love it when Mitch doesn't have to go to class. He gets to sleep in, relax, and do whatever he wants. He deserves the break.

This is going to be a great month! I hope you all enjoy it as well. Christmas isn't too far away either so this is a good month to start getting prepared and make some purchases in advance. Not to mention, V for Vendetta is in my top 25 favorite movies, "Remember, remember the 5th of November."