happyhappy award

My bloggyfriend Vanessa from Caramel Covered photographs sent me the Happy 101 award a few days ago.

I always feel kind of cheesy talking about myself with these tags, but happiness is good, so here we go!

The rules for this one are:

1. List 10 things that make you happy.

2. Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

I have tons of things to be happy about right now, since it is Christmas Vacation!!! My most favorite time!

1. Being on break, which means spending alll day in pj's, baking cookies, reading for fun, wrapping pretty presents, and staying inside all day guilt-free when it is icy outside.

2. Getting to see some of my best friends soooooon!

3. Being in love, even if it is mostly far-away love.

4. Having fun with my silly sisters. 

5. Playing my piano, which I only get to see a few times a year!!! Even if my little sister comes up and starts banging on it too whenever I sit down.

6. Reading at night in my bed to the glow of Christmas lights

7. Being able to RUN again after months of my stupid hip injury!!! (knock on wood it is really healed)

8. Knowing that I am on the right track in life, even if I can't see the end and sometimes get frustrated with the way things are.

9. Oatmeal for breakfast, made by my slowly perfected special recipe.

10. Looking forward to New Year's maybe even more than Christmas......

Now I am supposed to "tag" 10 blogs that brighten my day, but since that includes every blog I choose to read (and every blog written by all of you reading mine, you guys are just so hilarious and inspiring) I just can't pick and choose

sooooo

I am going to cop out and tag EVERYONE who reads this and would like to keep passing on the award :) because you make me happy and keep me amused and sane.

  

home for the holidays !

                                     

[pics from my road]

I finally made it back to IL and the cornfields, after one of the top 5 most stressful bad-weather-driving experiences ever (what's up, eastern blizzard)

plus a pitstop in Indiana for the annual Dutch family Christmas gathering, during which much Heineken and  cookies were consumed,

and the Christmas light palm tree my uncle built sparkled in the front yard while the real banana tree was transplanted into the bathroom for the winter.

The weather isn't too frightful yet, but tomorrow we are supposed to get freezing rain plus regular rain, to erase the little bit of snow that is on the ground.

In preparation for being iced in tomorrow, my mom and I spent approx. 4.5 hours shopping today *whew* and I almost feel ready for Christmas!

twas the night before Christmas(break)...

...and I have another colorful recipe to share.
Not because I have been cooking 24/7, but because nothing else exciting has really happened in my life this week!

Seriously. My schedule since Monday has been: wake up, go to the lab, spend all day on Excel (I am definitely the Excel MASTER now....trust me), mayyybe work out, go home, inhale dinner, wonder how it is suddenly 9:30 pm, repeat. Uck.

Luckily, however, I hit upon inventing the most DELICIOUS soup recipe I have ever made (aka better than the only other delicious soup recipe I have ever made) and can now say, the BEST way to clear out your fridge before a long break is to cook all the produce in a pot, then blend it into a creamy soup (ala babyfood style).  In this manner, I present to you

THE BEST Butternut Squash Soup EVER

(please ignore my failed attempt to make an artistic yogurt swirl)

Ingredients:

-one butternut squash

-2 apples

-a few carrots and celery sticks

-1/2 red onion

-vegetable broth

-olive oil

-nutmeg (generous sprinkle)

-allspice(another generous sprinkle)

-salt

Directions:

-Peel and chop squash, microwave ~5 minutes until somewhat soft

-Saute onion in olive oil in your biggest pot

-Chop/peel the apple, carrots, celery

-Add the squash and rest of the chopped produce to the pot

-pour in Vegetable Broth until fruit/veg are barely covered by liquid

-simmer away while you make a quick batch of Pumpkin Cornbread

-Season soup with salt, nutmeg, allspice to taste

-Blend in a blenderrr in batches until creamy, adding more broth if it's too thick
-freeze leftover soup so you can eat it all winter long and never have to crack open a can of nasty Campbell's again.

Tip: when blending hot soup, DO NOT SEAL THE LID ON THE BLENDER. The hot liquid will build pressure.

Note: If you love cornbread, you HAVE TO TRY THE PUMPKIN CORNBREAD.

So yeah,

I am also driving to Indiana tomorrow to kickstart Christmas Break with a family get-together at my Aunt and Uncle's house.  Which is always craaaazy fun :)  I will also get to see my sister, who's flying in from ABERDEEN!

where she has spent the whole semester with the hot Scottish rugby players.

I have missed making fun of her so much!

There is also supposed to be a snowstorm tomorrow. Of course. Hopefully I can outdrive it!!!

Speaking of driving, I have definitely NOT had a chance to clean my apartment or pack at all OR (worst of all) check out new books on tape since finishing finals.

AHHHHHH

oh well.

[rainbow pic by sistah, edited by moi :)]