What I'm Into: November 2014

November 8, 2014

November was something else!

I spent the month listening to Christmas music, trying to figure out the weather, and stocking up for WINTER.  

My brother and sister finished up their CYT class. We tried out Texas Roadhouse (the concensus was: Good food, lousy atmosphere. I think I'm getting old!). 

I got to see Heidi two different times this month! We made soap at her house and hung out at mine. I really wish we just lived right next door. I met a new friend named Joe and he's already taught me a great way to clean my microwave. 

My brother won the turkey at the Turkey Bingo this year (and Jay was the other winner at our table)! We had an early Thanksgiving at Jay's last Sunday and as usual the day was well spent and lots of fun!  Our table held new guests for Thanksgiving and we've been in game mode the last few days. 


What I'm Watching

I kicked the month off with a Christmas movie, but now I can't even remember which one!

We watched "Maleficent" two nights in a row.

"Gentleman's Agreement" (1947) is by far the best movie I've watched in a long time.

I've been watching "All About Eve" (1950), but I keep getting interrupted before I can finish it.

November 24, 2014

In the Kitchen

I made Joy the Baker's Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting from THIS book for my brother's 22nd birthday!

Porcupine Meatballs are an old favorite.

THESE dinner rolls were amazing. The only thing I'm going to change is to divide the dough into more rolls so they aren't quite so big. 

6:37 this morning

  
What I'm Reading

I've come to the end of my fall reading.

I really enjoyed "The Small Rain" and "My Life in France".

"The Christmas Cat" was my first Christmas book.

 I've been reading "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store".  I'm still making up my mind about it. Have you read it? What did you think (no spoilers please!!)?

I've got some great reading ahead of me in December...First up is a book club read that you're invited to join in on! Learn how to sign up HERE.

On the Blog

Liebster Awards are a great way to learn more about people.

I wrote about friendships.

Kiki and I hosted The Circle together! You can still link up.

A quick christmas read and my recipe for gingerbread hot cocoa all in one.

Lessons From My Mom.

You're Invited to "Read It" my brand new Goodreads book club!

What were you into in November? 

I'm linking up with Leigh for her "What I'm Into" link up!

You're Invited: Book Club

 I've decided to start a book club over on Good Reads!!!

This club will be dedicated to reading and discussing one book each month. The genres will range from literary fiction and mysteries to autobiographies/biographies and maybe even a little YA every now and then.

You'll need a goodreads account, but it's completely free and besides that, it's a great way to keep track of your reading! To join, simply visit THIS link.

We'll begin on Monday, so be sure to sign up and start looking for a copy of the December's book right away!

Lessons From My Mom

Last month Kiki wrote about "being good enough" and as I was typing out a comment, the idea for this post was born! 

March 3, 2012

I don't think I talk about my Mom on this space very much. She is hands down the most influential person in my life. We have been extremely close pretty much my whole life. She has taught me so many things and if I could just remember half of them I'd be sure to go places!

My Mom always taught me...

 To do my best - She pushed me to do things well, but to be okay with my limits.

To not be afraid of failure - Her exact words go something like this, "The only thing worse than failing is never even trying."

To listen up when learning opportunities show up - Her Dad told her "The only stupid question is the question that you never asked." and she made sure to pass that same wisdom on to me. Pay attention, ask questions, and GIVE IT A SHOT.

That I'm okay - This started when I was a baby. She would always acknowledge the pain and then quickly move on to helping me "brush it off" and reminding me that "it isn't any trouble just to S.M.I.L.E."

These pieces of advice have never let me down.

See , Mom? 

I have been listening!

And don't quote this post 

next time I'm struggling 

with something! :) 

I love you !

Christmas Reading

Every December something called Christmas comes over me! Picking out an Advent study, pulling out the decorations, heading to the library on a hunt for some quick Christmasy novels, and baking until right before December 25th never get old.

The only thing different this year is that Christmas came over me in November! I've held off as long as I can, today I'm going to spread some cheer to you. This is also my very first post feature pictures taken with the fixed 50mm lens that I just got a few weeks ago!!! I LOVE it.

"The Christmas Cat" by Melody Carlson was the first Christmas book that I read this year. It's a very short read, but true to Carlson's style, packed with several great plots! I've received a lot of teasing for reading this book...I am not an animal person, but that didn't keep me from enjoying it!

I've been reading Carlson since I was ten or eleven years old. If her name is on the cover I'm going to give it a try for sure. We all have our favorite authors and she has been one of mine for years.

Let's talk about her latest release and then I'll tell you about my Gingerbread Hot Cocoa recipe...

"The Christmas Cat" is mostly set in present day Vancouver, WA and begins just before Thanksgiving. A man named Garrison is the main character and he begins the book with a few things to sort out. After being a missionary in Africa, he returns to the states and finds himself single, living with a buddy, and without a job. To complicate matters even more, he ends up losing his Grandmother and becoming the executor of her estate which includes six cats who are going to need homes.

Garrison's dilemma unfolds in Vancouver with a fair amount of humor, a smidgen of romance, and some good lessons that we can all relate to along the way.

You'll become pretty fond of Ruby (the sweet older neighbor lady) and I hate to admit it, but even the cats themselves!

Sometimes you just need to read a good story and "The Christmas Cat" is exactly that. It's not one that will make you cry. The humor won't have you rolling your eyes. It really is the perfect book to enjoy with a hot drink on a cold winter day!

Grab a copy of "The Christmas Cat" today and be sure to tell me what you think!

* * * * *

A few years ago on my Grandma's birthday, I was baking up a batch of Ginger Cookies and I came up with the brilliant idea to use some of the spices from that recipe in hot cocoa.  This cocoa is pretty much Christmas in a cup if you ask me!

This recipe is not exact. I use less than an 1/8 of a teaspoon of each spice. You can adjust the amounts to your taste!

While the kettle is on the stove, pour your cocoa mix, a little ginger, ground cloves, and cinnamon into your cup.

Add your water and stir VERY well to make sure that all of spices are thoroughly mixed into the drink. Cinnamon can be a little stubborn, but it will come together. Pour in a splash of half & half and stir one last time.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream or some marshmallows and ENJOY!


12-12-12 Gingerbread Hot Cocoa
makes 1 serving

1 pkg hot cocoa mix
touch of ginger
little more ground cloves
little more cinnamon
water
splash of half & half (or milk)
optional: whipped cream or marshmallows

Set your kettle on to boil. Combine hot cocoa mix, ginger, ground cloves, and cinnamon in a mug.

Add water and stir VERY well until all of spices are dissolved completely. Stir in a splash of half & half.

Top with whipped cream or marshmallows.

ENJOY!

* I was provided with a review copy of this book by Revell. All thoughts are my own honest opinion.

Julep Friendsgiving Box

When the November box was released, Julep had a special "build your own box" option.  So far, I've found that Julep has great customer service and makes getting products that you are sure to love super easy. 

Customer service example: My first box came with a bottle of their Freedom Polymer Topcoat. I was getting ready to use it and I accidentally dropped it. It landed just right and BROKE. They offered to send me a brand new bottle free of charge. That's what I call customer service!

Getting products you love with ease example: The Friendsgiving Box. Is there even a better way to thank your customers than to offer to let them build a completely custom box? I don't think so!

The November box included:  "Sawyer" from the Boho Glam collection, "Marzia" from the It Girl collection, and "Devon" from the Classic With a Twist collection . I chose "Bonnie" as an add on.

They also included two little candies, a coupon, one of their little quote cards, and a couple of mini catalogs.

I tried Sawyer out first. It is one of those polishes that looks like different colors depending on the light. And I already know that I'll be layering Bonnie on top of EVERYTHING, all year long!

As always, Julep would like to offer a free trial box to you! Simply click HERE to take their style quiz and get started. I should note that they've just released the selections for their December boxes!

What are your go-to winter polish colors? 

Are you on the hunt for a specific color?  

* While this is not a sponsored post, I have included affiliate links.