Sunday, December 13, 2009

Cookie Exchange

I was invited to a cookie exchange this weekend, I LOVE holiday parties but I was super nervous about this one because I don't know any of the girls invited other than the one who invited me. Buuuttttt, in my attempt to meet new people I sucked it up, made my cookies and headed to the party. Honestly it was a little awkward, but I still had a good time. I'm not sure I met anyone that I will be hearing from again but we'll see. Geez I feel like I am dating again ;)

I mostly wanted to tell you all about my cookies, not the party itself. A few years ago my old high school friend Jamie and I made the BEST cookies ever, Oreo Balls. I have made them countless times since and they never disappoint, here is the recipe:

1 package of Oreo cookies
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 package of white chocolate almond bark
1 package chocolate almond bark
Combine the Oreos and the cream cheese in a food processor.
Blend until it makes a wet ball of dough.
In your hand roll the dough into small 2-3 inch round balls (really as big as you'd like).
Place the balls on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Melt the white almond bark according to the directions on the package.
Remove Oreo balls from freezer and insert a toothpick into each.
Dip into the white chocolate until fully coated, lay gently on cookie sheet to harden.
Once all of the balls have dried, gently wiggle the tooth pick to remove.
Melt chocolate almond bark according to directions on the package.
Put the melted chocolate into an icing bag (or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut)
Drizzle the chocolate on top of each ball in a zig zag pattern.

Normally I top the Oreo balls with the chocolate as per the directions. For the cookie exchange I wanted something a little more festive so I decided to use Christmas sprinkles instead. I'm not exactly the most creative person so to my huge surprise they turned out GREAT! I hope you all enjoy the recipe. Here is a picture of my fantastic Christmas Oreo balls:

HAPPY COOKING!


Friday, December 11, 2009

the honor of MY presence is requested

So today in the mail I got an invitation to my own wedding! ha! We had the invitations shipped to my Mom's house in Houston and when they arrived earlier this week I was DYING to see them, so my sweet Mommy sent me one in the mail :) They look amazing! Matt and I are both very pleased with how they turned out, especially Matt since the invites were one of the few things he was able to help pick out from Dallas. They are "pocket" invitations and as it turns out there is quite a bit of assembly required, so we all know what I will be doing while in Houston for Christmas. Even still I'm very excited! They will be sent out a few weeks into January. I'll try to take a picture and post it later, things aren't really getting done around here b/c me and cheeks are both super sick :(

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. I think I will RSVP for two ;)


Monday, December 7, 2009

My First Mixon (well almost) X-mas

Matt and I have been dating for almost 3 years now, and this will be our 3rd Christmas together but this one is extra special. Why you ask? Because this is our first Christmas living together :) This may not sound like a big deal to some but to me it means the world. I have never lived with anyone and I have never been about to marry someone, so for me living with Matt and sharing Christmas under the same roof for the first time feels amazing because it is the first of many holiday memories we will be making together as our own new family.

We decided not to go crazy buying decorations this year because I know that I will be able to get some great ones on sale after the holidays. So, we went small and minimal but I love having the apartment filled with holiday cheer and of course the smell winter candles in the air. <3>
We bought a small potted tree because we didn't want a fake tree but we still wanted to be environmentally friendly. I hate the thought of just throwing a tree away after Christmas. We plan to take good care of our first tree and plant it in the back yard of our first home :)


Here are a few pictures of our first tree and my super fun fake snowed balcony












Wednesday, December 2, 2009

100 days

Just in case your personal countdown till MY wedding is broken...

100 more days!!!! ;)


Tuesday, December 1, 2009

busy bees


Wow where has everyone been? No one has been blogging these days, just too much going on I suppose. I'm in the same boat, December is shaping up to be quite a month. Finally Matt gets to come home for a holiday so I'm looking forward to December's trip to Sugar Land more than ever. Until then I have shopping to do, house hunting to do and a whole lot of wedding planning to do. Here is a list of things I could use right now:

-personal shopper
-a way to make baby cheeks poo more regularly (ewww I know)
-a wedding planner
-the perfect house for sale, in the city of Dallas, near one of the 3 good schools, in my price range, ready for move in April 1st.
-personal chef
-telaporter between Sugar Land and Dallas
-my bestie back in Texas where she belongs
-animal trainer

here is a list of things i could do without currently

-fussy, constipated 4 month old baby
-the extra 5 lbs Ive been hanging on to
-the 4 hour drive to Houston
-pot smoking neighbors
-kitten that meows incessantly when the sun comes up each morning
-the Dallas stars (for taking Matt away form me at least 2 nights a week)

here's hoping...