This Just In

This is how you know I read way too much celebrity gossip.

Yesterday I popped onto Perez Hilton as usual and saw that actress Zooey Deschanel was engaged. I thought that was nice as I love her in the band She & Him and she is also in 

one of my favorite movies, 'All the Real Girls'. 

Then late last night I again checked in on the latest gossip related events of the day and saw that Zooey is actually engaged to Ben Gibbard, frontman of Death Cab for Cutie. Hello! I was shocked! I have no idea why but I kept saying "wow" over and over again until John finally came into the room and read what I was reading. He then proceeded to laugh hysterically over how ridiculous I was acting. "You know you are a married woman yourself, right?" Yeah hon, I know. But still. 

Grateful Gal

For Christmas my stepmother-n-law and father-n-law gave me a pink sweatsuit, t-shirt, matching tote and slippers from Victoria Secret. However, it was a bit snug and too youthful for me (they tried) so last night I took my gift receipt to the store to return the items, minus the slippers which are so comfy (below, in pink of course).

Let's just say that they were VERY generous in their choices because I basically went on a shopping spree for an hour. It was one of the most joyous shopping experiences I've had in recent months. You know I'm a giant fan of their sleep wear so I picked up several items in that category. Here is a sampling...

Rest assured I'll be wearing those pants on the plane to AZ in a few weeks! 

Holiday Reflections

Exactly four years ago tomorrow, I drove my little Toyota Tacoma truck packed with all my possessions across the country from AZ to PA to start grad school. I remember it being really cold and I was so nervous yet confident that I was making a good decision. Obviously those Masters degree plans have changed, but I am still forever grateful for how things have worked out and that I actually have made a home here.

Every Christmas that I can't spend in AZ with my family is a tough one. I always feel like I'm missing quality times with them. However, now that I'm a married woman and I have another family to think of, I have been slowly trying to adjust to making the holidays here feel more like the ones I grew up with. I can truly say that this year was a really great step in that direction. I felt like everything came together and we had a very special day. John and I pulled off a yummy Christmas day dinner for 8 and then had more of his relatives over for dessert. Our first Christmas in the new home was definitely a memorable one. I hope to continue to have more like them in the future.

Here are a few photos to help recap the day...

Me opening presents my parents sent from AZ.

Yes the dog gets presents and yes, I act excited about giving them to him.

John and his adorable grandparents.

Chris, Stacey and Beanie.

Husband and I.

Cousin Amanda playing with our neice Victoria and her Aquadoodle, the present we gave her

(which she loves I might add).

Christmas Spirit

I just got done baking several batches of Mocha Nut Balls in preparation for Christmas Day dinner and dessert at our new house tomorrow night. This will be the first time that John and I are hosting Christmas so it should be fun/interesting. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

In the meantime, I wanted to be sure to wish everyone a happy holiday! May you enjoy wonderful times with your family and friends. 

Pleasant Surprise

Saturday we came home from running errands to find a big, plain cardboard box sitting by the front door. Naturally I opened it without hesitation and found this...

For our Christmas gift, Matt took one of our favorite wedding photos and had it blown up and put on canvas so it looks like a piece of art.

I thought that was such a great idea and we were truly touched. I can't wait to get it hung.

Thanks brother :)

Fun With Words

Is it just me, or is Blagojevich something you could say over and over again? It's like a tongue twister!

Soliciting Ideas

I got my haircut today so I'm feeling 'refreshed' but that is undoubtedly going to fade fast as I begin the daunting task of finishing the purchase of Christmas gifts for my husband. This year John and I are scaling WAY back, much like everyone else in America. We decided to stick to a small budget for gifts to each other and instead focus on all the fun trips and events we have coming up in the New Year. Originally this left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling but now I'm worried that what I've bought so far is totally boring and it's stressing me out. I need some creative ideas... fast. My husband has long since stopped reading my blog as he has recently discovered Facebook so he'll never know and I'll be eternally grateful for the help.

From My Kitchen To Yours

Around this time last year someone gave me a pasta cookbook. This is great on so many levels because A) I love cookbooks and B) we eat pasta a minimum of once a week. 

The below recipe is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I should warn you, though, it is probably not the healthiest option, but definitely dynamite for dinner.

Crispy Pancetta and Scallions

Ingredients: 

8 pancetta or bacon slices

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

4 scallions

1 lb. dried pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan 

salt, black pepper

Directions:

Cook pancetta or bacon (I use bacon), turning frequently in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crip, 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into one inch wide strips. Pour off excess fat from skillet and add butter and olive oil and melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until just soft, 2 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add pasta with parmesan, bacon and scallions. Toss well to coat, adding reserve water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately 

with extra parmesan if desired.

Saturday And The City

Miraculously we wound up with a pretty free weekend, so John and I decided to spend Saturday in Philadelphia. We got off the train at Market East and proceeded to walk to the Christmas Village near city hall which turned out to be not worth the time at all. But, because we were freezing, John suggested we go into the big Macy's for some shopping so that made up for it. 

The highlight of the day, though, was definitely the Reading Terminal Market. It's a site I always seem to forget during visits of my friends and family which I promise I will try not to do again. There is everything imaginable that you would ever want to eat and all with the hustle bustle theme you find at markets like it across the country. We ate warm roast pork sandwiches with sharp provolone cheese at one of the counters, bought fresh apple pie and bread for our dinner last night and sampled chocolate covered pretzels from Asher's. I'll never get over all the fresh fruits and vegetables  you can find (and for cheap), not to mention the odder delicacies like pigs feet....

Ewwww!

It felt good to put aside holiday stress and just be out walking. Of course in a few short months we'll be barricading ourselves inside due to the impending freezing weather but we'll worry about that later.

Christmas Season Bundle of Joy

Today I am the proud cousin of baby girl Giovanna (hope I'm spelling that right), born this afternoon to my wonderful Aunt Heather and Uncle Michael. She came a bit early as she was so excited to enter this world, weighing in at just 3 lbs, 4 oz., but mom and baby are doing just fine.
My entire family just couldn't be happier for the new addition. I for one can't wait to see them when John and I travel to AZ in just a few weeks.

More Reasons My Brother Is Cool And I'm Not

Click on this to hear Ryan Seacrest give a shout out to my brother Matt in an interview with Katy Perry regarding another fave of mine, Perez Hilton. Pretty neat stuff.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

Every year that we are in Arizona visiting my family for Christmas, we normally put up the boring fake tree. It's nice enough, but not terribly exciting. This year I couldn't wait to go out and hunt for the real one we will have for our first PA Christmas in the new house. We drove around to four different places including one that I swear just said to measure the one we pick up against a post and depending on the height, just throw some money in a black box. Honor system gone overboard. We ended up finding one at the lot that was littered with pushy sales people but the selection was outstanding and they bound it with twine so it was easy to carry. 

In years past I haven't really let John help decorate it as I like the lights perfect, ornaments evenly spaced, etc. Crazy, I know. But I could tell this was bothering him (go figure) so we did it together and had a great time. Note his new attention to detail here...

I'd say our tree is very eclectic. I like to put up warm, fun ornaments that remind me of things about us or places we've been.

With all the decorations and now the tree, it's really feeling nice and cozy for the holidays. Top that off with the snow flurries from last night and you have yourself the makings of a wonderful Christmas. 

Ups and Downs

Last night we had Rocco and Lia over for dinner which turned out to be a really nice time. John cooked steaks on the grill (something he still does even in this freezing weather) with scalloped potatoes and sauteed zucchini. I made cheesecake pudding and brownies for dessert and we all proceeded to polish off nearly 3 bottles of wine. Let me just tell you, after this week, it was much needed. Things have been a bit stressful. Thursday I found out that the company I just joined three months ago has laid off nearly our entire west coast team. I have been on edge ever since. I've been told my territory has nothing to worry about but lets face it, who is safe these days? My heart goes out to those people with families and I'm reminded again of how lucky anyone is to have a job.  Sometimes I tend to over think worries which leads to growing problems in other areas of my life. So today I'm just trying to refocus and be grateful for the little things life gives me like a great meal with good friends. 

World Travelers

A few days ago John and I went down to the local post office to get our first ever passports. I know, it's so exciting.

In May, we are traveling to a wedding in Jamaica and figured now was probably a good time to get going on submitting our applications. We've heard stories of it taking months to get them in. We handed the woman our applications and documents and she took our photos (she told me I smiled too much and that they want more of a 'mug shot') then came the cost...$230 for the two of us! I almost fell over in my chair. I had no idea how expensive these things were. If I had a clue we would have waited until after the holidays for such an extravagant transaction. I mean isn't traveling out of the country expensive enough? I'm sure we were ripped off somehow but we were dealing with the US State Dept. directly so it is a bit hard to understand. I have a difficult time letting go of stuff like this, but thank heavens its something that is at least good for years to come.