My Present from Jen

Jen called me today on her way to work to ask me if I'd read her email. I was bogged down in meetings all day, so I hadn't even checked my personal account once. Apparently she had a holiday present for me. We had already decided not to give gifts to each other this year, as she is just recovering from her wedding bash and I was now saving for mine. (I picked up the new Transformers movie for her son anyway when I saw it came with a fun face mask... I'm a sucker for kids' stuff.) She told me to stop by on my way home from work and that the box was on her porch. Guess what I got! Christmas spirit.

Sorry for the crappy cell pic. Don't mind the snowshoes, either.

It's a REAL wreath.. that smells wonderfully. Yay!

Oh... then, I came home to this. Our next door neighbor's snowman lost his head! You can see it on the ground in the background.

Wedding Wednesday

Heck, I still have 30 minutes mountain time to write a Wedding Wednesday post, so I'm making the most of it!

How amazing would these cookies be as favors? Seriously. In. Love. (Found via The Little White Book)

Loving the snowflake, too.

Watch Out... Here She Comes...

She's a man-eater. Just kidding. Just letting you know to WATCH OUT! I'm scheduling posts!

I happened to get off at a semi-decent time tonight, so I started wrapping presents to get them in the mail. Finally, I had to log on. I am used to posting several times a day and have been going through some serious withdrawal. So... to avoid not posting, I'm scheduling them while I can.

Stay tuned!

Weight Watchers Wednesday

Those of you who are participating in Weight Watchers probably already know that the program was revamped this week. Before you could either do the Flex Plan (where your food is worth points) or the Core Plan (where you eat certain approved foods until you feel full). Now, the new program, called Momentum, combines both concepts, and the other two programs have gone away. I, personally, don't think this will make much change for me.

Full disclosure: I gained 0.4 ell-bees since the weigh-in before Thanksgiving. (I missed last week's meeting due to working late.) Honestly, my first thought was "that's all?" I was even wearing jeans, and I normally wear climbing pants. I was shocked I hadn't gained more. This time of year is hard for everyone, as it's so easy to overeat. So, I was happy that's all I had put on-- especially since my exercise routine has gone to pot the past three weeks.

Enough of that... here's your recipe of the week!

Mexican Meatloaf

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 lg. lean ground turkey breast
2 large egg whites
2 oz. cornbread stuffing dry mix (about 1 cup)
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 oz. canned green chili peppers, diced
8 oz. canned enchilada sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix beef, turkey, egg whites, stuffing mix, onion, chili powder, cumin, chilies, and half of enchilada sauce together. Shape into an oval with your hands and place on prepared broiler pan. Cook for 1 hour, top with remaining enchilada sauce and bake for 5 minutes more.

Servings: 6, Points Per Serving: 3

I Interrupt This Temporary Hiatus...

I have to say that I'm not enjoying not blogging. I am currently writing this as I scarf down my leftover tortellini at my desk. I am shocked that I have a new follower, when I haven't really posted since Thursday! Thank you for hanging in there.

So... why am I interrupting my much abhored hiatus? I just read this post by RSVP Shindig, and I was dying laughing. I have to say I feel the same way she does... I want a funny letter, not a story about your perfection.

I hope all of you are enjoying the holiday music in the air. I have to honestly say it's what is keeping me sane driving home so late at night in the snow. (I'm only half kidding!) I am praying for a reprieve soon. Stay tuned...

The Girl Next Door Went Missing...

I know I left you a bit hanging over the weekend. I should have at least posted something. Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it), I am up to my eyeballs in work for the next couple of weeks. I had a few projects handed to me with unbelievable deadlines, so I probably won't post much. In fact, I've been leaving the house at 7 every morning and sometimes don't get home until 9... and yes, I've been working weekends, too. I haven't wanted to even look at a computer at that point. As soon as I can, I'll post pics of our (finally) decorated tree and me living it up at the company holiday party. I hope you're enjoying the quickly diminishing December!

Personalized Stationery

As an extension of the Gifts For New Brides posts earlier this week, I am posting a special post just for personalized stationery. I don't know if you're like me, but I love paper... and getting real mail. Even if you need a gift for someone who isn't recently married, personalized stationery fits the bill.

SilhouetteBlue:
Pottery Barn:
Acorn Letterpress:
Story by Mia:

Turtle Papers:
Whisker Graphics:

Jumping Jack Designs:
Cricket Printing:
I could go on forever, but I only have so much photo space! Search Etsy for personalized stationery, and you'll have about 500 pages to search through.

Things I Love Today

Remember this post with my dream office/craft room? I found a great alternative for the white cabinets. Where else, but IKEA! Thanks to Real Simple's blog for giving me a little inspiration!

You can see there are three IKEA Alex cabinets pushed together in this photo. One is only $119!
I love how she compliments those cabinets with the IKEA PS cabinet ($100) along the other wall in this next picture.

I think I could make this work with prices like that! Now, if only we weren't paying for a wedding next year!

So... How Fast Can You Type?

74 words

Typing Test

I found this via Miss Shugarman's blog. I only did the type test once because I was afraid my number might go down. I might try again this afternoon once my fingers are a bit nimble.

Weight Watchers Wednesday

Last week, our meeting leader discussed food pushers and guilt distributors. I have to admit that there are certain people I don't discuss my Weight Watchers journey with. I really hate to admit that one of those people is a bridesmaid. She is really good at trying to make me feel guilty about trying to better myself. I don't really understand it, so I've done my best not to bring it up around her. Unfortunately, she brings it up every time she sees me. When I got the girls together to give them their bridesmaid cards, she said, "Are you done with this crazy diet thing?!" I thought I was going to come unglued. Weight Watchers is not a diet. I eat everything I want to. I eat cheese dip and brownies. I eat bread, crackers, and chips. The difference between what I used to eat and now... portion control. So, naysayer... shut the hell up! If you are trying to better yourself, those close to you should be happy for you. It's hard to deal with it when they're not. Do your best, and don't let the naysayers get to you. They're just not on the same wavelength as you.

Here's another great recipe for your dining pleasure. This recipe is not from Weight Watchers. It's actually from Everyday Food, Martha's recipe magazine. I LOVE this recipe. I've eaten it three times in the past three weeks. Enjoy!

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lighten beaten
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal, white and green parts separated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used ground ginger instead)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I used concentrate)

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, bring 8 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice, and boil until tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
  OR follow directions on container of rice.
  
• While rice is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add eggs; cook until set, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer eggs to a cutting board (reserve skillet). Cool eggs, then cut into 2-by-1/4 inch strips.
• In reserved skillet, heat remaining teaspoon oil over medium. Add shrimp, carrots, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger. Cook, tossing frequently, until shrimp are opaque and carrots are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, soy sauce, lime juice, and cooked rice. Cook, tossing to heat rice through, about 1 minute. Serve garnished with scallion greens.

Serves 4. Prep Time: 15 minutes. Total Time: 30 minutes. 7 points per serving.