christmas begins.

Even though I don't own a tree yet...

I bought a tree topper for $2.

And some ornaments for 71 cents each that match my ornament set perfectly.

Currently deciding if I am going to create and post some Christmas Organization lists.

weird neighbour.

I have a weird downstairs neighbour.  He phoned the police on the neighbours across the hall last weekend and then refused to answer his door when they showed up.  Then, Thursday morning he called my landlord at 6AM to tell him that his ceiling was leaking and that he thinks it was coming from my bathroom.  The landlord texted me and I checked my bathroom pipes.  Nothing was leaking.  In the evening, my landlord went to check it out and it was actually his floor and his radiator.  How do you conjure up a ceiling leak from a floor leak?

Today I baked cupcakes and blasted Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj while singing along in my overly obnoxious and irritating voice.

Take that, creeper.

carder's block.

I love making greeting cards.  Every year for Christmas I handmake up to 50 cards to hand out or mail to family, friends near and far, and co-workers.  The past couple of years I have really outdone myself.  The cards turned out beautifully but it always poses a problem when the holiday season is edging closer and closer...

"How am I going to top last year's idea?"  

I stress about these cards, I have cried about them, I've glued myself with spray adhesive, I've endured multiple paper cuts, I've lost sleep over these cards, I've spent a lot of money on multiple supplies for multiple ideas that sit in craft boxes unused.  I am sure I could make an entire list of cons that would convince anyone to grab a box of assorted and pretty greeting cards and be done with the task...

But I am me.  There is just something very special about opening an envelope and knowing the person who gave you the card has spent so much time and effort on a piece of cardstock.  As much as I whine and moan about these cards... I love them.  I love every papercut, headache, and I love the reaction I receive when it's all said and done.

My friend, Crystal, posted this photo on Twitter of a card I made and sent to her and her husband.  I used bold colours (navy blue, pink, lilac, red, forest green) with a holiday saying typed on each, stuck them onto cards and spray adhesive-d doilies onto each corner.  After that I trimmed the extra doily and VOILA.  A beautiful card!  

Forgive me for the horrible quality of this picture... it was taken late at night with my Blackberry.

I bought four circle punches, punched out a bunch of circles using different papers--patterns and colours and customized each card accordingly with patterns and colours I thought represented each person and/or family and/or couple.  I used double-sided craft tape to adhere each circle.  I used leftover doilies from my other cards to line up each wreath.  (I am still swimming in doilies.)  They turned out better than I imagined they would.

And now... it is almost November and I have no ideas.  Give it a month and I will have some ideas posted.

butter pecan sweet potatoes.

The Canadian Thanksgiving has passed.  Done and done.  The American Thanksgiving, however, is still yet to come.  

I had promised to make something with sweet potatoes to go along with dinner.  (I made these for dessert:  Mini Apple Pies)  

One broken peeler and apples prepped in the fridge later, I still had 10 sweet potatoes to deal with.  I found a store that was open, bought a new peeler and got to work.

ingredients
10 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
4 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 cup of pecan pieces
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees--I preheated mine to 425 (More about that later..). Peel your potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise (it will make them much easier to chop.)  Slice each potato into half moons, about 1/2 inch thick.  Once your potatoes are chopped and on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  (You may need more than one baking sheet as this recipe yields enough to feed about 10 people).

Cook until your potatoes are tender--about 30-35 minutes.

Take them out of the oven:  sprinkle brown sugar, butter, cayenne, and pecan pieces. Bake for about 15 more minutes, the sugar should caramelize.  Serve and enjoy!

the best part about these potatoes

• I have no picture of them... why?  I didn't think they looked pretty enough.  (Holidays stress me out sometimes.)
• Smoke Detector Set Off Count:  3.  Until the boyfriend saved my stress level by climbing up and taking the battery out of the damn thing.
• I thought they looked terrible as previously mentioned, but he thought they looked good.
• Everyone (especially him) complimented how amazing they were and it was requested that I make them for Christmas.  (I will take a picture of those ones.)

sunday pumpkin spice cookies.

On Sunday I was feeling motivated to whip up some cookies.  For two reasons:  1)  I wanted the apartment to smell like Fall.  2)  I thought the boyfriend could use a treat while football was on.

Okay--reason #3:  It could give me something productive to do rather than waste the afternoon away on Pinterest.

They were so simple to make.  I took a basic vanilla cookie recipe I made up and added pumpkin pie spices.  The recipe here makes about 15 but could make more depending on the size you roll up.


ingredients
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I didn't have any left and so I used French Vanilla creamer--the lactose free kind that you add to your coffee!)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (I used the pre-made stuff because I was lazy :D)

**To make your own pumpkin pie spice all you need is: ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. I own all of these ingredients and yet I still own the pre-mixed kind too.


directions

For the dough:  Cream butter and sugar with a mixer (or you could be old school like me and use a fork.. it is rare to find me with a mixer in hand) until it is pale and fluffy.  Add your egg yolks and whatever vanilla flavoured goodness you have in your kitchen.  Beat in the flour, salt, and spices until everything is nicely mixed up.  Cover and throw it in the fridge for an hour.  (The dough will keep for a day in the fridge and it also freezes for a month quite nicely.)

The baking part:  Preheat the oven to 350.  Roll balls using a teaspoon or two for each cookie.  Or do it like I do and just eyeball the heck out of every one.  They don't have to be perfect they just have to be delicious.  Place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or if you have the Pampered Chef bar pan you won't need to line it.  Press a thumbprint into each cookie.  Bake for about ten minutes.  Check on the cookies and repress the thumbprints with the handle end of a spoon if they've fluffed up.  

You can get creative and fill the thumbprints with whatever you'd like.  I had a dark chocolate bar from Ikea in the fridge and so I decided to break it up into pieces.  After that I put the cookies back into the oven for another 6-8 minutes.  

Whipped cream might have been a fun option for the thumbprints, cinnamon icing.  You can definitely get creative with the middles of these cookies.  If you're American I would recommend going out and buying Hershey Pumpkin Spice Kisses and using those--take the cookies out of the oven, place them on a wire cooling rack and place a kiss in each thumbprint.  They will melt with the heat of the cookie but if you put them in the fridge after they've cooled the Kisses will harden again.

mini apple pies.

This is what happens when the grocery store runs out of canned pumpkin the night before Thanksgiving:

• ingredients
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (plus more to top with)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (plus more to top with)
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (plus more to top with)
• 8 apples--peel, core, slice
• 2 lemons--zested and juiced
• 30 pre-made tart shells (I cheated.)
• Whipped cream or ice cream.

directions

(1)  Prepare your apples and then cover in lemon zest and juice. 

(2)  Mix your sugar, flour, and spices.

(3)  Coat and recoat your apples.  When they are fully covered, throw them in the fridge, covered, overnight.

(4)  Wake up in the morning, preheat the oven to 375, throw the apple mixture into pre-made tart shells.

(5)  Sprinkle a mixture of extra brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice on top.

(6)  Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking often.

(7)  Enjoy the smell of Fall in your apartment.

I plan on reheating these while we eat dinner and then topping with a dab of whipped cream.  Make sure to buy a good apple peeler.  Mine broke during the process.  How I will peel 9 sweet potatoes for "Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes" later?  I do not know.

candles.

Bath & Body Works sure knows how to make a girl happy.

If you burn these candles in your apartment it makes it smell like a sexy man.  Not kidding.

Thank you, Bath & Body Works!

my fake niece.

My internet is finally up and running properly.  I don't know how I was living without it.  Pinterest withdrawals are real.

Today I went grocery shopping with my best friend and her daughters who are four and two.  I had our "Iggy" in my cart and we were having a conversation about the fact that I live alone.  It really bothers her.  She is overly disturbed by this.  She is worried that my Mom didn't want me to move out.  She asked if I have no friends and that's why I have to live alone.  I told her I decided to live on my own.  She offered to move in with me--our deal is that I have to watch Scooby Doo and Spongebob with her because they are her favourites.  Iggy asked if I had a machine to play movies.  When I told her I did she was sold.

Later on, this conversation with her mother happened:

"Lily just got out of tub to say this: "Mom, I gotta tell you sumthin' and it's important. Ash needs me to live with her...she has no toys and is all alone. I can bring toys and watch Scooby Doo on her TV. It's a big TV, ya know.  And she will do crafts with me and we won't be lonely. So don't worry. Kay?"

day one.

I locked myself in my own bathroom today.  DAY ONE.  Sobbing on my new bathroom floor is not a good look for me.  Luckily, my newfound superhero came and saved me.  Livid that this would happen, he went to the neighbour to find my landlord.  I was saved.  While crying on my bathroom floor.  In my attempt to break free the doorknob fell off.  I was eventually saved after taking a chunk out of my skin, kicking the door four times, and bruising my hand while trying to pull the door open all while ruining my mascara, naturally.

Other things went well today.  I love my apartment minus the bathroom door.  The superhero impressed me--talk about the right place at the right time.

I have no real need for cable.  I officially live on the loudest and craziest street ever.  The people watching is superb.

My boxspring broke today.... greeeat.

Wine makes my world better.

So does stealing Wifi.  Even if it is dreadfully slow Wifi.

apartment essential.

OPI counts as an apartment essential.  Just look at this beautiful colour from the Germany collection.

For more info on this collection (and where I found the swatch to share with you) check out:  http://www.beautyjunkiesunite.com/WP/2012/07/31/reviews-swatches-photos-opi-germany-collection-fall-winter-2012-danke-dusseldorfs-oktoberfest-unforgretably-schnapps-germanicure-deutsche-nein-berlin-pretzel-bach-knockwurst/

my future living room.

Is it wrong to be excited about a couch?  

Because I won't lie--I'm really looking forward to cuddling up on that chaise with my Kobo.

Especially with a couple of these throw cushions.  

And the violet throw blanket here.

This chair will be a nice addition to my living room as well.  My Damask curtains will bring it all together.  Clearly I am overly excited about my living room.

things i am going to miss.

Moving out is crazy and exciting.  I cannot believe that in 16 days I am going to be in my own little place that is absolutely adorable and full of character.  I've been buying items for years and now it's all going to come together and be all mine. 

That being said, my mother seems pretty sad about the whole ordeal.  We had a conversation the other day that went a little something like this:  

Mom:  "You know... I never told you that you had to move out or leave."
Me:  "I know, Mom.  But it's time.  It will be fine."
Mom:  "You can still change your mind and stay.  I just want you to stay."

My poor mother.  I will be living 10-15 minutes away from her.  It's not as if I am skipping town or the country.  It is definitely a little bittersweet.  I will miss a lot about living at home.

• Watching "our shows" with my mother.
• Annoying my brother.
• My cats.
• My overly girly purple bedroom that I've made adorable over the years.
• Laundry for free.
• My family.
• My cats that are staying here because they love the house and the dog.
• My mother annoying me in the morning because I am a grump and she's overly chipper in the morning.
• My backyard.
• Not having to worry about making dinner because it will always be made for me.  (As awful as that is.)
• Knowing someone else is always here if I hear a weird noise.

The best part about living 10-15 minutes from home?  I CAN COME BACK AND ANNOY THEM ALL ANYTIME I WANT.  I am also looking forward to inviting them over for dinner, having my own Christmas tree, and having a place that is all me.  

What a sap post this was.

my new roommate.

How can I ever really be alone if my new roommate is Audrey?  

lists.

I'm list crazy.  This list of things I need for my place is both daunting and growing more every day.  As boring as it may be, I am keeping track of it here.

• shower curtains 
• shower curtain hooks
• shower curtain liner
• bathroom accessories
• bath mat
• towels
• curtains
• blinds
• coffee table
• end tables
• new bookshelf
• lamps
• sofa
• wireless router
• speakers for laptop
• TV
• bed
• mattress
• toaster
• mini-grill
• coffee maker/kettle
• microwave
• DVD player
• new pillows
• vacuum
• cleaning stuff
• dresser
• recycling box and green box
• mirrors
• tools
• wine glasses 
• Brita dispenser
• Scrabble
• Battleship
• Cranium

Oy vey.  That's a lot of shopping in my future.

EDIT AS OF AUG 14/12:  This list is disappearing.

and so it begins.

I've had blogs before.  I've abandoned them for this new one.  Many had memories that I didn't want to delete but couldn't bear to look at anymore.  So I've decided to start fresh.


"Starting fresh" is also very easy when you've just signed a lease to a new apartment and you've never actually lived alone.  So here's to making new memories in my new home (starting September 1st) and the drama and anxiety leading up to the big move.