Vacation: Key West

Our first of two stops on the cruise last month was Key West, Florida, and I have to be honest - I had set my expectations extremely low.

I had no idea I would find a Charleston-esque tropical beach town. The architecture was so charming, from the open porches to the shutters to the picket fences and occasional bright colors.

I didn't expect to find so much history there either. Renting bicycles was the perfect way to explore! I loved every minute of it!

We rode around town for what must have been miles and of course made a stop at the beach. We were greeted by massive amounts of seagulls and a load of seaweed that had washed up after a storm.

Of course I did plenty of eating in the several hours we were docked, trying conch fritters and some strange fruit/vegetable from Cuba. Not even the woman behind the counter knew what it was.

Unfortunately no key lime pie for us, as the place I'd chosen to stop was closed . . but we did grab some gigantic cookies and ice cream on our walk back to port.

The one and only disappointment of the day was just barely missing an opportunity to meet a long-time blog friend, Girl from Florida. Just one more reason to return to Key West. :)

Christmas Treats Exchange

This past Sunday, my roommate Katie and I hosted a Christmas treats exchange. Our second party at the house, I once again realized the kind of planning that goes into it. I mean duh, right? But other than showers, I haven't done much hosting. I wanted to just go crazy on the Christmas decor, but we kept it simple and thanks to Katie's last-minute creativity, I think our mantle looked fantastic!





I had been eyeing those glass mosaic trees at Target for well over a week, and I'm glad I finally snatched them {on my third visit!}. We picked up the vases for $1/each at Goodwill, filled them with pine and cranberries floating in water and topped the cranberries with votives. I honestly love it, although part of me wishes I had gone with the larger trees.

Katie's sister came over and helped us prepare. I spent Thanksgiving with their family, and they really know how to throw things together and help around the house! :)



We also threw some clementines in a bowl for our coffee table. Nice and simple.





I'm not sure people realized they could help themselves to the candy dish, but I'm almost glad they didn't. A full bowl is much prettier than an empty one. :) I bought these candies while in Williamsburg, because they remind me of my grandma.

I passed up a day of wine tasting in Virginia and spent Saturday baking up a storm. Initially disappointed to miss a birthday celebration, I really enjoyed having all day to follow recipe directions and not feel rushed!

I decided to bake two kinds of made-from-scratch cupcakes . .



. . both involving peppermint, of course.



Peppermint Cupcakes
{with cream cheese frosting, white chocolate shavings, and peppermints on top}



Peppermint Patty Cupcakes
{with patties hidden inside brownie cupcakes and dark chocolate ganache on top - Can someone say rich?}



Katie's sister whipped up one of my Christmas favorites. We call them hopscotches at my grandma's house.



Katie made delicious homemade fudge and the best apple cider I've ever had.





And The Girl brought some yummy Christmas cupcakes!
{yellow cake with cream cheese frosting}



We threw some fake presents under the tree and hosted {what I think was} a great party!

Friday Updates

Today marks Day 3 of being alone in the office. Five more days to go!

I hope my colleagues never come back. Kidding! But it really has been nice to have peace and quiet here, doing my work uninterrupted and being free to sing along to my iPod if I so choose. :)

I thought working alone might allow me to leave especially early, but my days have still been pretty full, and I haven't worked less than eight.

This weekend, my roommate and I are hosting a treats exchange party at our home. I know these are usually called cookie exchanges, but let's be honest, there are so many other treats that are better than cookies, so why limit yourself? I, personally, am hoping to make some cupcakes, as well as a favorite childhood Christmas treat called hopscotches.

I'm realizing just how much cleaning needs to get done before this Sunday party, so I fully intend to stay home tonight and get started!

In home decor news, I finally purchased a bed frame! I'm a long ways away from posting pictures of my bedroom, but it will be a major improvement to not have my box spring and mattress on the floor! I even got the salesperson to take $10 off the frame! It never hurts to ask.

I hope to post pictures of my bathroom soon (that is, if you even care to see}!

Christmastime in D.C.

I really can't believe we're ten days into December. It always goes by so quickly. On top of decorating, shopping, and holiday parties, there are always so many other things I'd like to find time to enjoy.

• I walked past the Holiday Market in Chinatown last night, but didn't have time to walk through. I hope I can make it back to see some of the lovely handmade gifts being sold.


• There are always performances at the Kennedy Center or other venues. Last year, I saw The Nutcracker for the first time since I was five. It was so wonderful!


• I love Christmas shopping in Old Town Alexandria, because I think it feels more quaint and Christmas-y than anywhere else in the area with its thousands of lights and small shops.


• The National Christmas tree is all lit up, and although it's not the prettiest thing I've ever seen, it's still neat to visit the tree on the South Lawn of the White House and find your state's smaller tree.

I doubt I'll fit all of this in before Christmas TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW, but hopefully I'll do more than make several trips to the mall each week.

This week I baked some delicious cookies, and I wish I could say it was a difficult recipe, but it's super easy, and it came on the back of the Nestle Dark and Mint Chocolate Chips package. They're Mint Chocolate Delights, and I can't stop eating them!

*This is not my photo.

Christmas Decor

We finished decorating the tree tonight with gold ribbon, clear crystals, and red bows.

Now that I see this picture, I'm going to go remove that odd blue bulb hanging out there all by his lonesome.

I added some red bows to the otherwise boring wreath on the front door, but now I'd like to add more! Little gold balls or something shiny.

I love our big poinsettia, too. What I really wanted to purchase was a couple of topiaries for either side of the fireplace. A little more than I wanted to spend, I'm afraid.

If only I could find the Department 56 Snow Village piece my grandmother gave me. I should be bringing home another piece from her collection this year, and I'm excited to start putting together my own village. Have you seen these pieces before? I think they look so magical all lit up!

Do you all have a favorite Christmas decoration?

Snowing in Northern Virginia!

Upon moving to the D.C. area, I was surprised, and pleasantly so, that it doesn't snow here as much as it does in Nebraska. Not even close.

Because when you grow up with icy roads and mounds of snow that you get stuck in, it's nice to have a break from the nuisance it can be.

In the past 4 winters, I have seen maybe a foot and a half of snow total. It typically doesn't stick, and even if it does, it's soon to melt and dry in a couple of days.

But although I'm not a fan of prohibitive snow, I do like a little dusting every now and then.

Like yesterday.

\\

The neighbor kids were thrilled Saturday morning. They rushed outside before it all turned to slush.



This sledding picture makes me laugh, though. These children deserve a real snow.

We heard a thump and saw Lyn throwing snowballs at the living room window!



The right amount of snow can be fun.

{What wasn't fun about yesterday was needing a new battery for the new car. My guy friend was outside for far too long putting it in. We had to drive to his house and the hardware store to assemble a wrench long enough to tighten one annoying screw. Three hours later, it was finally done. Somebody will be getting a big batch of chocolate mint cookies this week.}

The Real Tree

Last night, we brought home a real tree!

And a wreath. And a BIG poinsettia.

We had some trouble getting it to stand straight {always the hardest part}, but a few tries {and a couple magazines propped under the stand} later, it was looking good.

We strung it with hundreds of lights and hung some pretty bulbs before stepping back to admire it.

All while watching "White Christmas".

One of our roommates bought us little advent calendars with chocolate and make-your-own Christmas door hangers. :)

I stayed up too late looking at it.

Will post a picture soon. {But honestly, it needs more ornaments first!}

Christmas Town

Busch Gardens Christmas Town really got me into the Christmas spirit the day after Thanksgiving.

The lights, the music, the elves, the goodies . . .









I sipped my hot cocoa while watching a lively song-and-dance show. The hint of peppermint made it perfect.



This small tree could not compare with its gigantic brother on which we watched a musical light show. As we made our way out of the park after 10pm, we danced in circles as a couple wrapped up their duets on a small stage.

Christmastime is here
Happiness and cheer

What's gotten you into the Christmas spirit this year?

Flowers

I bought myself a bunch of carnations last night.

They make me happy.

Vacation: On the Ship

One of my favorite things about cruising is all the great food!



BBQ pork ribs were definitely the meal I loved the most . .



And I ordered the chocolate melting cake every single night.



I do love variety, though, so I often ordered two of each course. Two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. Of course I didn't finish everything, but it was fun to share with everyone at the table.





Plenty of our friends could be found at the poker or craps tables, and I threw a few quarters into the slots myself. I walked away $6.25 richer!



We went to shows, learned disco and hip hop dances, played cornhole and ping pong, worked out at the gym, and danced the night away in the 'club'.

Some of us sang karaoke, too. You wouldn't be so scared to get up and sing if you had a group of twenty belting it along with you, would you? Yes, our group played back-up singers to nearly every person that went up to sing. We even formed a conga line at one point.

You might be surprised to learn that I know every single word to "Nuthin' But G Thang". I feel a little self-conscious singing, but rapping? No problem. :)



It was definitely a fun ship!