Goodbye 2010

Hello 2011. I've never been so happy to see you. I have goals for you. Not necessarily goals about weight loss or big projects, but character goals. In years past, I've rung in the new year with a twinge of sadness because I know that time is moving on and I am getting older. I am growing up!

However, this year, I will be ringing in the new year with anticipation for a fresh start. I learned a lot from you 2010, but that doesn't necessarily mean I loved you either. 2011 may be similar, but it may be different also. That's the exciting part...I don't know! It is a new adventure.

So, 2010, I'd like to say thanks for the things I've loved about you.

Thanks for the Lost Series Finale.

Thanks for the Vancouver Olympics.

Thanks for the FIFA World Cup.

Thanks for Hank's Mission Call. Thanks for this blog. Thanks for Club 33 and Vegas. Thanks for all of that, but I'm still happy to see you go.

So, with a tiny smile, I write my final goodbyes to the year 2010. I will never forget you, but I will not miss you. Thanks for the lessons, but thanks for leaving. Thanks for ending so that 2011 can make it's entrance and I can begin a fresh, new start.

Basically, all of my feelings can be summed up in this short video. Enjoy :)

Cleaned Out

It is finally done! My room is officially clean. And not just ordinary clean, but clean-clean. I spent almost 12 hours on it today. Organized, dusted, packed holiday decor, dusted everything, and threw tons away. Whew.

I love days like this. I mean, I don't love cleaning, but I love the feeling right after. I'm ready for a good night's sleep and a few more days of lazy before my busy schedule starts all over again on Monday.

Disney Holidays at Home

We decided to make a Yule Log. What is a Yule Log? I'd be SO impressed if you knew. Essentially, it is a cake that looks like a log. We saw a Disneyland Holiday food special on tv and decided to make one. We consulted many blogs, websites, and friends to find the right recipes and tricks to make it. In the end, we decided to go all out and try the Disneyland recipe. We doubled it and left out the coffee and liquor. Don't ask how much powdered sugar, butter, or eggs went into this. You do the math, but it was a lot!

So, here is our Yule Log journey...

Noon: Began step 1. Making the cake part

1pm: The two flat logs

Thanks to Krazy Sub, we got a board strong enough to hold our extremely heavy log. We decorated the board :)

4pm: After the frosting was made & applied, we rolled the two logs up.

5pm: The assembling process began!

5:15: Two coats of frosting (buttercream then chocolate)

Finally, we added the rest of the decor. Not a good picture, but you get the idea.

We added a Hidden Mickey as a tribute to our Disney recipe.

6pm: Transportation to Maricopa. Yikes. What a trip. Sad to say, some frosting didn't make it...

We are obviously not Disney master chefs with the finest ingredients or appliances, but we got the point across! If you notice the time it took, this was definitely a once-a-year thing. However, it was very fun to make!

Cookie Cutter Christmas Craft

Lately, as I have been Christmas shopping (or shopping in general) I have been on a budget. And, really, who isn't? As I shop, I think "How can I make that?" and "Is it worth the time and effort to make?" If not, I move on. If so, I find myself creating things out of cookie cutters...or other random things. Basically, I take other people's ideas. Call it plagiarism, but that is what disclaimers are for right? Oh hey, look, I found one:

Disclaimer: I can not take ANY credit for the following Christmas gifts. My mom gave me the idea for the ornaments and I saw the brownies at Cracker Barrel.

First, the ornaments. These are pretty easy, fun, and I am tempted to keep some for my own tree! Hint: Buy the ornaments in bulk and on sale. I got mine (a bin of 40) at Joann's on sale and with a coupon on Black Friday weekend. (Sorry, the pictures aren't great. Cookie cutters are hard to photo.)

Here is a stocking.

A Christmas tree

Two Gingerbread people

A Christmas tree on a Christmas tree :)

Next, the brownies! A bit more time consuming, but enjoyable and tasty! Use basic brownie mix and be sure to cook all the way through. The less gooey the better (well, depends on your patience). Let them cool all the way. I would cut a large square and remove it from the pan, cookie cut it, eat the trimmings, and sprinkle with colors. Then, I wrapped them up.

(Again, bad photo)

They really aren't that great looking, and I know I may seem pretty cheap to just give away cookie cutters, but I love them! Simple gifts like these make me happy so why not share the joy? The best part is the recipient gets a cute cookie cutter out of these. Enjoy!

And, I apologize if any of my readers receive one of these gifts. I don't mean to spoil the surprise...I was just so excited about it!

Busy Sundays

I love busy Sundays. Today, was a rather busy Sunday. I was constantly doing something or going somewhere. I didn't really get a break until about 9:30pm when our family watched the Amazing Race finale. (We love that show!)

I love busy Sundays because I am not bored, but I am serving. Busy Sundays remind me of why I do it and Who I do it for. This is the Lord's church and these are the Lord's people. There is nothing I'd rather do on a Sunday than be around those people who I love: my family and my "extended" church family. Today, I ran all over the place before, during, and after church. And, although I was running around, I felt peace. I could feel the Lord guiding me and leading me to where I needed to be and to who I needed to see. I felt good. The funny thing about service is even though you are constantly focusing on the other person, you really are benefiting more than you realize.

I felt blessed today.

50 Disney Movies

With the release of "Tangled" (which I highly recommend), Disney has reached their 50th full-length animated feature released in theaters. Wow! I went through the list of all 50 and found that I have only missed 6 of those. Disappointed? A tad. Dorky? A bit. Determined to own & watch them all? Yes!

(FYI: The 6 that I have not seen are: Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, Fantasia 2000, and Home on the Range...although my dad swears I saw Home on the Range with them in 2004. I promise I did not. Although, I will fix this problem soon. I promise that too.)

I found a slideshow of all 50 and I watched Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs tonight to remind me of where it all started.

Here is a video counting them all up. I was able to recognize my "generation" of movies when The Little Mermaid arrived.

As I watched this, I got chills as my childhood memories filled my mind. And that is just it, the memories...the feel-good satisfaction...the wholesomeness...the imagination...that is what I am excited about.

A goal for 2011: To watch (not necessarily own yet) all of the movies. If I could own them all by next year, great! If not, no big. Wouldn't that be cool to own them all and watch one every week in a year?? Awesome.

I'm going to say it now: Someday, I will...someday, I will...