Randomness (Is That A Word?)

Okay, I needed to post something today. I've been so busy catching up on grading papers, making and giving finals this week, I just didn't have time to prepare a post. I'm feeling a little scattered, and thought I'd share those scattered thoughts with you. Even my picture is random, something I took, and thought it was nice. Here goes...

Baby girl is in the Christmas play tonight, she's one of the 'Hot Chocolate Dancers.' My son says they sound like strippers!

I finally found The Smell of Christmas, potpourri. Now that my house smells like Christmas, I have to put the tree, and decorations up! Last week was the week to do it, OMG, I'm so behind. Life happens, and there is only so much I can do! I forgot, I had a migraine three days last week.

Yes! I'm done with finals. Oh wait... I have to grade them all. May I have an easy button?!

Tomorrow is Fall Commencement! I pray we don't have a boring speaker. Dang, where is my cap, gown, and hood? I should have gotten it cleaned. No one will notice if it's a little dusty... and if they do, oh well!

It's so cold. I just have to hold on, Spring Break is around the corner. It's 14 weeks, and counting!

Hmmm, New Years Resolutions. Do I really want to torture myself?

See, I told you I was scattered. All over the place!

Christmas Candy/Cookie Swap

For a few years now, I've wanted to host a Christmas candy/cookie swap. Due to scheduling problems, it's never happened, life in general it never happened. Then I had this GREAT idea, I'll host a cookie swap from my blog.

Get in on the fun. Post a recipe of your candy or cookie on your blog, come back and link it here (way at the bottom of this post). Don't forget to visit others who link their recipes. Try as many recipes as you can stand to make. Please comment later on how your candy, and/or cookies turn out.

Candy and cookies are great gifts, and are fun family projects. The following are two recipes my family will make this holiday season. Will they be a gift? We'll just have to see.

Toffee Butter Crunch

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds, toasted
4 4-1/2-ounce bars milk chocolate, melted
1 cup finely chopped blanched almonds, toasted
Melt butter in a large saucepan.

Add sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, to hard-crack stage (300 F on your candy thermometer) - watch carefully after temperature reaches 280 F. Quickly stir in coarsely chopped nuts; spread in well-greased 13x9 inch pan. Cool thoroughly. Turn out on waxed paper; spread top with half the melted chocolate; sprinkle with half the finely chopped nuts. Cover with waxed paper; invert; spread again with remaining chocolate. Sprinkle top with remaining nuts. If necessary, chill to firm chocolate. Break into pieces.


Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 gingerbread boy-shaped cookie cutter

Use a clean 1 quart jar and press each layer down firmly. Put in half of the flour along with the baking powder and baking soda. Add the spices and the remaining flour. Add the brown sugar last. Tie a ribbon around the top of the jar and attach the cookie cutter and the directions below.Attach these directions to the jar:Gingerbread Cookies Empty jar of cookie mix into large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Mix in 1/2 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup molasses and 1 egg. Mix until completely blended. Cover and refrigerate 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes. Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Decorate with icing.

Recipes were taken from www.christmas-cookies.com

Skin Rejuvenation

I love watching The Dr. Oz show. It's full of information, the everyday person can take away, and actually use. Last month I decided to take him at face value, literally.

Dr. Oz claimed it took only nine days to get younger looking skin. At 41-years-old, I would like to look as young as I possibly can, for as long as I can. The process is simple, use an exfoliating cleanser to remove dead skin cells, and moisturize.

I've said before, I look much younger than 41. In my mind, I'm more like 26. Again, I'd like to remain as young looking as I can! Actually, I've been fortunate to have great genes.

Background:
My ritual, until recently has been washing my face with Dove soap, and using my body lotion on my face. That's it. There's no method to my madness, just chasing away dry patches. The area between the eyebrows that tend to flake up, is the worst. Anywho... Dr. Oz says, by removing dead skin cells, our skin looks brighter, and reflects light better. It also allows the regeneration of new skin cells.

Method:
I kept it simple! Armed with an Olay coupon, I purchased their Regenerist, daily regenerating cleaner. In plain sight it read exfoliates, that's what I needed. For the moisturizer, I picked up Wal-Mart's version of Oil of Olay, Equate Beauty Lotion, with an SPF of 15.

Results:
I know it's now more than nine days, more like a month. No one I see on a day to day basis, my students, children, or Mr. Husband, has stopped me to say I look younger. But I have taken notice of some changes of my own. My skin is softer, and those dry patches at my eyebrows, haven't been as dry. The pores on either side of my nose that were getting bigger, and bigger, at least in my eyes, have gotten smaller.

For the record, I do think I look younger, maybe 24ish. That's knocking off two years. Will I continue this process? You bet! By the time I turn 50, who knows, I might look like a teenager again.

I like to call this, my skin rejuvenation experiment. I didn't have to go to a pricey spa, or spend a lot of money on ground breaking serums. And I'm thankful, my skin rejuvenation process didn't end like Sammy Sosa's! Oh, MY!

Photo Credit: msnbc.com

My First Career Choice

Photo credit: Reuters

Recently, while watching 'Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,' reality show, my memory was pleasantly jogged. As a child, I wanted to be a DCC.

The very first time I saw, and come to know about Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders was in an episode of 'The Love Boat.' Yeah, I know that was a loooong time ago. They boarded the cruise ship, with their signature skip/walk, and I was hooked. I must have skipped around, for weeks or longer.

Although, I'm slightly older than the current DCC, don't laugh, and weigh about five pounds more, with more junk in my trunk, that's really not funny, I look good. Because I'm more mature, I'd have to wear a different type of uniform, and the splits are out of the question. The last time (20 years ago), I tried to do a split, my knee went out. All of that aside, I still have the dance moves.

If they were to have auditions for a mature DCC, wearing more clothes, and less splitting... I'd be so there!

Who would I have to call to make that happen?

It's Official...

Tis The Season To Be Jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la.

Finally, I can decorate! Although Wal-Mart, and other retail stores put Christmas decorations up and out, before Halloween, I observe the Thanksgiving rule. And it's on!

Tonight, the children and I will drag the tree and decorations downstairs, and our tree trimming, and hall decking will commence. I've visited several shops, and got some really good ideas. We're adding a few more decorations to the tree, and the house. I'm even considering adding a second tree.

While visiting various shops, I learned about decorating with mesh. It's beautiful on tree's, the fireplace, over doors, just about anywhere you can put garland. Most important, it's inexpensive! A 10-ft roll is about $10.

I absolutely must have the SMELL of Christmas in my house! It's a cinnamony slash piney kind of fragrance. It's hard to describe, but if you smell it... you'll know. Walking into one of the shops I visited recently, the smell of Christmas, hit me in the face, (that's actually the name). Immediately, I knew I had to have it! Their potpourri is outrageously pricey. Now I'm on the hunt for a less expensive potpourri, candle, or oil.

It's going to take us a week to decorate. No, it's not that I plan to do THAT much decorating. But, I do plan to do more than usual, and I don't want to scare Mr. Husband. Too much at one time might send him in to holiday shock. A little bit at a time, and he'll be okay, and he'll not wonder just how much I've spent.

How do you plan to decorate for the holidays?