Christmas Morning

J and I got up together around 8:30 to have our own Christmas morning together. We sipped on our coffee, snuggled, and exchanged gifts. Due to the fact that I had literally just stumbled out of bed, I do not have many photos documenting this event. *lol*



Monkey enjoyed helping us unwrap!


Jase gave me a Tony Romo throwback jersey (yay!), Spyro video game, Sharks beanie, and some misc candy goodies.

I got Jase a black peacoat, Timberland boots, 2 new jeans, black slacks, socks (could my gifts get any more "wifey"??), gift card for the comic shop, & peanut m&m's.

Here's Jase in his new coat, jeans & boots:






We also had a stocking for our kitties. It contained a toy that hangs on a door (and has exciting feathers! haha.) and catnip bubbles. They weren't really sold on the catnip bubbles, but went nuts over the toy! Of course Thor figured out how to rip it off and walk away with it. Smart little punker.



After we were done with our Christmas, we got ready and headed over to my family's home to have Christmas with them.

We got all sorts of generous gifts, so I'll just post the highlights. My fav?!? The Canon S5-IS I've been drooling over for a REALLY long time!!!

My Dad was super-creative this year and made us find our hidden gifts with clues on a "scroll" he made for each of us! It was a great idea, really fun, and J and I are probably going to steal the idea when we have kids.

Here's my "treasure chest" after I found it. My clues are shown behind it.



Ironically, I got up to get my camera to take a picture of my new camera all wrapped up. ;)



Jason got Assassin's Creed and Call Of Duty 4 for the XBOX 360 and some gift cards, too. :)

It was definitely a really fun morning!

Christmas Baking with Friends

Why bake alone when you can do it with friends??

Last night, Joann and I baked with Sarah in her kitchen while J and Sarah's hubby, Zak, played the Xbox 360 (of course!).

Toffee Bars & Hershey Kiss Cookies



Citrus Sugar Cookies



Chocolate Covered Pretzels



And here is my Snickerdoodle Disaster!!! We think the baking soda was old and didn't activate. :( SAD!



And here we are!

Going to the Sharks Game tonight.

Jase and I are going with our friends Daniel & Isabel to the Wild vs. Sharks game tonight at The Tank. After Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Boston Sabres, we'd better come out fighting!! They are so much better than this.

It will be my 3rd game this season. They've lost the last two I went to, so they have some making up to do for their fans! I hope it's a good game.

Oh and I'm also looking forward to food and beer at the Tied House before the game. Yum!

Here are a couple photos from the game we took my brother to for his birthday. It was Kings vs. Sharks that went to shootout.

I'm hosting Christmas Dinner!

This year will be our first year ever hosting a holiday. I'm very excited, but also a little intimidated. We're having my mom, my dad, my bro, J's dad, J's stepmom, J's bro, & J's sis over for a total of 9 people.

To keep the holiday stress-free, I've planned out just about every aspect of the season: from grocery shopping to decorating deadlines. :) Right now, everything is decorated, my Christmas gift shopping is almost completely done, and I've already started baking! I'm definitely in the spirit this year and really enjoying December!

Cheese Tasting GTG

16 of my friends and I got together in November at Angela's house in Vallejo for a yummy cheese-tasting, wine-drinking, dessert-eating get together! Here are some photos of the food and festivities:







I brought the 2 kinds of Gouda shown here:


We made these by hand! (see below)










Before the actual tasting, Joann, Tiffany & I went to Sarah's house to make tortilla chips to bring along!! With Sarah's hubby, Zak, supervising... We managed not to burn down the place. :) Who knew he was an expert in all things fried??







Vince the Prince supervised, too!


Oh and we can't forget when Dan and Nacho (the doggie) dropped Char off for the carpool. How cute is little Nacho puppy?!

Home Decorating Improvements

These last few months we've been trying to spruce up the place. I thought I would share some before and after photos. We're not completely done and I don't have photos taken of all the changes yet, but this gives you an idea.

BEFORE:






AFTER:






Small:




Extended for company:




I'm in the process of sewing (yes, I'm sewing!!) chair covers for those dining room chairs. Also, we now have our sofa and sofa chair covered in chocolate brown. It looks MUCH better now in my opinion. I'll take a photo soon.

Overdue updates are on their way!

For now... Listen to some Christmas music and get happy!

My Sick Puppy

Unfortunately, Jason spent his weekend (that he finally had off) sick with a bad head cold. He's still sick today (Monday) and at home getting better.

Luckily Thor was there for him yesterday as he tried to nap his cold away:

Visiting my baby "sister", Sarah!

We visited our dear friends, Adam & Heather, at their boat in Vallejo over this Labor Day weekend. Their baby girl is growing so fast and looking more beautiful by the day!! We had a wonderful time catching up, relaxing, and spending time with little Sarah.

Sarah & Daddy



Sarah & Mommy



Eatin' those Cheerios!



All smiles!



Getting the Jason sunggle.



She's already crawling and can support herself on her legs with no problem!



Group photos!

Prettiful Birthday Flowers from Mom

I've never had flowers delivered to me before! Even though my mom and I work together, she had them delivered to me on Monday. They are absolutely beautiful!! :) See for yourself:







So sweet. :) <3