We've been spoiled this winter with the weather averaging in the 50's so far. It has allowed us to continue to run outside, save on our energy bills, and run around comfortably when we were shopping for Christmas gifts. It was weird with the warmer weather leading up to the holidays, although we still did the traditional winter activities.
Greg knew that he had to travel in the month of December in order to finish up a project. He had the option of which week to travel since the schedule was flexible. We were invited to go ice skating with our friends the week after Greg's brithday, so Greg wanted to go to that, so he had to travel the week before Christmas.
I bought Greg a pair of hockey skates from Good Will in college for $3. I spent another $3 on new laces and another $5 to have the blades sharpened, and wha-la, Greg had a new pair of ice skates. I used to take ice skating lessons as a child, so it's nice to get out every season and continue to skate. I'm not that great by any means, but I'm not the person that is falling down or uncomfortable when they are making turns or trying to stop. And, we all know how great Greg is at anything he does, so he is an expert skater just under the level of figure skating doing triple axles. Just kidding, but he is a natural when it comes to ice skating. So, Greg and I aren't the typical couple that is holding hands; one would find us competing for who can skate faster. Does it even help a person's balance to hold hands? I've always wondered this.
We went to Crown Plaza to go skating. I have never been ice skating here. It was gorgeous with all the lights.
Greg worked over the following weekend to finish up his project, and then left on Sunday to go up to Michigan for the install. They called for snow on Wednesday evening in Kansas City, but with the weather we had, it was hard to believe that it would actually stick. Greg was supposed to fly back Wednesday, but he wasn't finish with his project quite yet, so he pushed back his flight until Thursday.
Well... The snow did come. And it went through the area very early in the morning, so it was still blowing hard when I had to leave for work, so visibility was horrible. I didn't want to risk the drive with Greg being gone and us taking home my car for the holidays. I watched the news and traffic was horrible, so I knew I made the right decision to stay home. I went back to bed and Greg called around noon to tell me that all flights to Kansas City were cancelled for Thursday, and with Friday being the day before the holiday weekend, there weren't any options for him to fly to Kansas City, but he could get a late flight into St. Louis. I didn't take that so well since I had several presents to pack up, laundry to do so I could pack both of our bags now, and a long drive home by myself. Not to mention that Friday evening was Greg's work's holiday party that we now had to miss. I think I was more upset over that than he was.
So, Abby and I blew off some steam and went on a walk in the snow, which is another winter activity that I love to do. She wanted to go outside all morning when I was sitting in the kitchen trying to work. I would let her outside and she would practically get blown away by the wind. It calmed down in the afternoon, so we had a nice walk and she ran and ran. The sidewalks were all iced over, so we just plowed through the fields.
It was a great snow day, and I got a lot done. The presents were all packed up in the car already, laundry was done, and our bags were half packed. Greg was a little upset that he missed the snow, but he woke up in Michigan on Friday with a couple inches on the ground. We went home for the holidays, and St. Louis didn't get any snow. When we got back to Kansas City, we still had some ice and snow in our backyard.
The temperatures for the next week are in the 20's, and we're missing the warmer weather!
1. Greg's birthday was last Thursday.
2. He turned 27.
3. I bought Greg's presents the weekend before his birthday.
4. It took everything I had for me not to give him his presents the moment after I got home and had them wrapped.
5. I did give in and had him open up 1 present 2 days before his birthday. It was a black and grey striped tie and some sparking saki.
6. The day before Greg's birthday we went to Cellar & Loft in Kansas City for a wine tasting and to get more education on wine, scotches, and tequila.
7. Then, we went to Johnny's to meet up with some friends for trivia.
8. On Greg's actual birthday, we decided to stay in and I cooked Greg a nice steak meal that actually turned out pretty good.
9. Greg was finally able to open up his presents! The remaining gifts were Sports Champions 2 for our Playstation Move, and a coffee press and more coffee.
10. We were going to put a coffee press on our Christmas list because we have been wanting one for a while. I finally saw a decent glass one at Macy's and bought it.
11. We had to get coffee beans because the beans need to be coarsely ground and not the typical fine grade. The coffee is just HyVee's breakfast blend, and it was delicious.
12. Sports Champions 2 has tennis, boxing, bowling, golf, archery, and skiing.
13. Greg just couldn't put down his coffee he loved it so much.
14. He was skiing and jumping off ramps while I was cooking.
15. On Friday evening, we went to Jeremy's for a Christmas party with our friends.
16. He and his girlfriend, Kristen, worked all day on appetizers with a Christmas theme. They homemade dog biscuits as party favors.
17. On Saturday the girls from work wanted to make our company christmas party a girls night, so I went to that and spent the night out in a hotel, and us girls went to see the last Twilight movie in the morning.
18. Greg on the other hand worked like crazy getting a lot of things done around the house. I got home on Sunday feeling guilty for how much he had accomplished all on his own.
19. He finished securing our bikes to the ceiling of our garage. He did 2 loads of laundry, picked up the dog doo-doo from the yard, raked the pine needles, tried fixing the toilet, and cleaned up the house some.
20. He is truly amazing because I didn't ask him to do anything, but to have fun since I was out having fun.
21. Needless to say, by 8 PM on Sunday Greg was exhausted.
22. Chase loves Greg. Greg claims that he is warm-bodied so Chase is always wanting to lay on him.
23. I think Chase secretly likes discipline, and that is what Greg offers him.
24. Greg is a middle child like me, and I think we have a lot of the same qualities because of that. I'm a firm believer in the effects of birth order and how that shapes some of our characteristics.
25. Greg could spend hours on end on his computer doing almost anything from organizing photos, researching topics, watching videos, listening to music, etc. and he gets energized by this.
26. This is an introverted quality that I wish I could develop, but I can only sit on my computer uninterrupted for about an hour before I get exhausted and have to get up an do something.
27. Greg says he is a thinker and I am a doer, and that is why we work well together.
Baskets filled with goodies are an easy Christmas gift when you don't quite know what to get a person. I find that I have a lot of fun putting them together, and it's nice to arrive at a get-together bearing gifts. I have found over the years that they are good presents for your boyfriend or girlfriend's parents, godparents, boss, or maybe that cousin, Aunt or Uncle whose name you drew for a gift exchange. Gift baskets don't have to be personal, but you can always throw in your own touch with a homemade recipe or gift.
It's always a safe bet to center the theme of your basket around food or drink. Who doesn't love food? And, as we get older, it's nice to be able to throw in a bottle of wine, but that's when it gets tricky because everyone's taste is different, and I don't know what is considered good wine because I buy bottles around $9. So, why not consider a fruity, hard alcohol drink such as homemade cranberry lime vodka?
I found this idea on Pinterest, of course. I should probably stop saying that and just let you assume that all ideas are never mine, but I'm really good at copying others, and Pinterest has a great source of ideas. I try to give credit as much as possible, although I would love to claim some of the ideas as my own.
I have a hard time drinking mixed drinks when I can taste the alcohol, so I love the occasional super girly drink that covers up any sense of alcohol. This woman's blog suggested a recipe for a crantini that was delicious.
In order to get started, all you need is a container of some sort. If you're going to give it as a gift, then a nice looking bottle is the best choice. I found mine at Home Goods in the clearance aisle for $2. Home Goods is another love of mine that I could get lost in for days looking at all the household items.
While you're out shopping for a bottle, swing by the grocery store and pick up a bag or two of cranberries, 3 limes, and a fifth or more of your favorite regular vodka. I'm not sure if it really matters what brand of vodka you buy since you will be infusing it with the fruit. We used the brand, Most Wanted, which is a popular, affordable vodka in Kansas.
You will start by poking a hole in each of the cranberries and placing them in the empty bottle until it's about half full. I used a toothpick for this and poked it all the way through the cranberry so it was sticking out the other side. I thought this was going to take forever, but it filled up pretty fast.
Once you get about half way up the length of the bottle, peel all 3 limes and place the lime rinds in the bottle. The actual lime portion is not needed, so either throw it away or put it to good use. Then, fill up the remaining portion of the bottle with the cranberries with the holes poked through them.
Once the bottle is full, it is suggested to add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the bottle. I only added around 1 teaspoon and it was fine. The longer you let the vodka sit in the fruit, the sweeter it will get.
Next, pour the vodka into the bottle until it's full. Then, put on the lid and turn it upside down and right side up a few times to get the sugar mixed throughout. The vodka should sit in the bottle for at least 2 weeks and up to 2 months before you break it open. We waited right around 2 weeks and it was great. While it's sitting, it is suggested to turn it upside down and right side up every couple days in order to continue to mix the sugar. After at least 2 weeks, you can enjoy!
As the vodka sits, it is soaked into the cranberries some and the level goes down in the bottle. I added some vodka after about a week, just so the bottle looked full. The vodka will also start to turn red after a few days as it is infused with the cranberries. It's not as pretty as it looked on Day 1 when the lime color was a beautiful, bright green, so it may be better to give it to someone after a day of making it and tell them to let it sit for 2 weeks, and tie the recipe for the crantini on there that they can make when it's ready.
Recipe for the Crantini's:
1 1/2 oz. cranberry-lime vodka
1/2 oz. triple sec
4 oz. cranberry juice
1 tbsp frozen limeade concentrate
Shake well and enjoy!
So, it may be a good gift to add into a basket or a good conversation piece to bring to a Christmas party. The most important thing to remember is that it take at least 2 weeks, so plan and start early!
This Christmas feels almost like Greg and I's first real Christmas because we finally have a Christmas tree that was given to us by my godparents. Last year I only put up some garland and ornaments on the mantel with our stockings, and it never felt quite like Christmas. This year we have a tree, garland on the mantel, and more garland on the banister. It was quite the project setting up the tree and placing decorations around the house. That's why I will admit that we started the weekend before Thanksgiving, since putting up the tree was the last thing we wanted to do when we got home on Sunday.
The only thing I asked Greg to help me with was getting the tree up from the basement; however, he was pretty helpful in setting up the tree as well, but he left all the decorating to me. It was an entire family effort. Chase and Abby are all about new things whether it's a box from the basement or a new bag after shopping. They have to be around it and touch everything!
Since I knew we were going to get a Christmas tree last year, I was able to hit up all the Christmas sales after Christmas last year and get some ornaments and garland in order to make a blue, gold and silver themed tree. The ornaments were really cheap, so that is why I didn't mind when Chase batted them around the house as I was tying the strings on them to hang them on the tree. The ornaments on the tree were kind of sparse, so my Mom handed down more of her ornaments that matched the theme in order to fill in the gaps.
The house definitely feels festive, and Greg and I turn on Christmas music every chance we get. We suggest entering the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Holiday into a Pandora station for Christmas music. The songs are really good and not the cheesy Christmas songs you hear on the radio that we get tired of so quickly.
The weather for this past weekend was in the 60's so it allowed Greg and I to put up some Christmas lights, and an excuse for Greg to use his ladder and his Z-wave! The lights are hooked up to a Z-wave outlet, so Greg has them programmed to turn on and off at night. It's very convenient.
We had a great weekend shopping for Christmas gifts and working on our projects. I'm trying to make a couple Christmas gifts this year, so you might be one of the lucky ones who gets a homemade gift. Ha! I also have a couple other DIY projects that I'm going to try and write about in the next couple weeks. Greg's birthday is on Thursday, so we are looking forward to celebrating.
Happy Holidays!
Well... The snow did come. And it went through the area very early in the morning, so it was still blowing hard when I had to leave for work, so visibility was horrible. I didn't want to risk the drive with Greg being gone and us taking home my car for the holidays. I watched the news and traffic was horrible, so I knew I made the right decision to stay home. I went back to bed and Greg called around noon to tell me that all flights to Kansas City were cancelled for Thursday, and with Friday being the day before the holiday weekend, there weren't any options for him to fly to Kansas City, but he could get a late flight into St. Louis. I didn't take that so well since I had several presents to pack up, laundry to do so I could pack both of our bags now, and a long drive home by myself. Not to mention that Friday evening was Greg's work's holiday party that we now had to miss. I think I was more upset over that than he was. 
