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Merry Christmas!! I can't believe another great season has come and gone once again. It went by so fast! I spent Christmas eve in Salem with my dad's side of the family and Christmas morning with just the four of us at home. Later we drove down to Coos Bay to spend a few day's with my mom's family and exchange presents. My mom got an iPad! Now that we're home, the attention has been put on how to sync her iPhone with it. It's been quite a challenge but we get closer to figuring it out every day. The next task is going to be finding a great case for it. She has the pink smart cover by Apple and now she's searching for a softer case for storage and travel. Here are some of my recommendations...enjoy, mom!

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Etsy

Hello and Merry Christmas! I can't believe we're less than two days away from SANTA COMING! I can't wait to see family and eat some good food. 

I've been obsessed with a certain type of hair tie for a while now. Ever since I discovered a boutique in Seattle that carries them, I just have to stock up every other month. Now that I've discovered how to make them, I just had to make them available and affordable for my friends and followers. 

These wonderful elastic hair ties are soft, stretchy and doubles as a bohemian-chic bracelets when your hair doesn't need to be up. Wear them in sets on your wrist or give them as a gift!

What makes these bands so amazing: 
-They have a lasting hold in hair whether in a ponytail or a ballerina bun
-They are kink and snag free! 
-They don't have a tight hold on wrists

I have ten colors to start off with and we'll see how well they sell on my Etsy Shop before I go crazy and splurge on every single one. Please check it out and let me know if you're interested in getting any! These are the sets I have so far and I can put together any combo of the below shades to match your style. Pricing is also available on my shop, but is always negotiable if bought in large quantities :)

Sparkle

Hello and Happy Wednesday! Lately I've just been hanging out at home recovering from surgery. I finally got around to repainting my nails...they were such a mess! I did a coat of "Wet Cement" by Sally Hansen and finished with "Afterhours" by Urban Outfitters (usually at the counter) as a French tip. Paige gave me a bottle of Orly Top 2Bottom finish and, like the name states, I used it as a great base and top coat. Great upside to only doing tips in glitter? Removal isn't as huge of a pain! Now that I finally purchased an iPhone (Yayyy!), I've turned into an instant photographer with Instagram! Here are my hipster-cool pics of the polish and finished product.

Christmas Treats

We're getting closer and closer to Christmas! Instead of having a family dinner on Christmas Eve this year, we're just doing desserts with my dad's side of the family and then driving down to Coos Bay on Christmas Day and spend a few days there. I'm so excited that we're having people over for dessert! I love to bake and this will give me an excuse to do it in excess. We'll also take packages of baked goods down to Coos Bay. My mom asked me to compile a list of what we're making including a list of ingredients. Here's a rundown of everything we'll be whipping up next week! What are YOU going to be baking this year?

1. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The recipe for the cake can be found through What Megan's Making and the frosting is brought to us by Ali at Gimme Some Oven.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

For the Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Frosting:

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon, mixing well until it’s all incorporated.  Use immediately or refridgerate.  The frosting will harden in the fridge, so plan on bring it back to room temperature if you must refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes. Either pipe out onto the cupcakes using a piping bag or a Ziploc bag (It works just as well!).

2. Oreo Truffles

Shelby's mom made these for her and her roommate, but I think I was the only one who got a hold of them. Needless to say, they didn't last long. This recipe is sooo so simple and I can't wait to make a batch of my own!

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Directions: 
Mix cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended. Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

3. Pumpkin Rolls

We use this Libby's recipe every year to make these delicious pumpkin rolls. They are somewhat easy to make but can be sort of tricky. It's important to use powdered sugar on all surfaces when handling the sheet of pumpkin cake. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  3 large eggs
  1 cup granulated sugar
  2/3 cups canned pumpkin
• 
  

For the Filling: 

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions for Roll:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. 

Filling and Assembling:

Mix filling ingredients and spread on cooled cake. Roll up cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut into one-inch slices with a sharp serrated knife or even a piece of fishing line by bringing it underneath the roll and pulling over the top. 

4. Chocolate and White Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle

Picture the cookies below with white chocolate drizzled on top. I make these almost every time in batches of at least four dozen. This is such a ridiculously easy recipe; I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up my method yet so publicly. Send me a message or leave a comment if you want my secret!

Wish List

14 more days until Christmas! I couldn't be more excited for that magical day. I have to keep reminding myself to appreciate every day leading up to THE day because the closer we get to Christmas, the closer I get to going back to school. I've been sort of down and out lately because of my shoulder surgery. It's been such a whirlwind these past few weeks! I had three finals in one day and every waking moment before my exams were spent with my nose in a book (okay, maybe Pinterest served as an occasional study break). The day after my finals I was scheduled for shoulder surgery and I was also planning on going home that same day. My parents drove me home and my mom has been the best nurse in the world when it comes to making sure I'm as comfortable as possible. I also had killer headaches which kept me away from the computer for a while, hence the lack of blogging.

Here's an (unrealistic) list of things that I would LOVE to get for Christmas this year and I think most girls would agree they wouldn't mind seeing this below their tree as well. If anyone feels the need to do a random act of gifting, you know how to get in touch with me ;)

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Eyebrow Obsession

I may or may not have an obsessive eye for eyebrows. For some strange reason, they're usually the first thing that I notice on someone. How well shaped they are, the arch and whether or not they're over plucked. They can totally shape someone's face and make them look completely put together or not. I also have a little Pinterest eyebrow addiction...every time a good lookin' brow pops up I MUST repin it! Take a look at some of my faves...they vary a little bit but all of them are so strong and clean.

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