Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas filled with family, friends, and Christmas cookies.  We spent an amazing week in the Smoky Mountains and are now enjoying time in Gainesville.  Happy Holidays!

Snow Day

Last weekend, in the midst of cramming for finals, it started to snow.  And it kept snowing... for over a day. 

FOUR inches!!

Being the true Floridians that we are, Hubs and I bundled up in some ridiculous clothes and headed outside for a snowball fight.  For once in my life, I completely kicked Mike's tail in something.  He will even admit it!

this was after just the first few hours of snow



see? snow covered. I win!

 After M admitted defeat, we decided to bring Pouncey out for some play time since he'd been attacking snowflakes through the window all day.  He was so funny eating and digging in the snow and chasing the flakes as they fell. 

Mike began throwing snow balls at him.  He desperately wanted to catch them and would dig in the snow looking for them after they landed.  Too cute!



It's not quite as funny as his kitten video, but he's still pretty darn cute. 

Schrodinger

If you've talked to me at all this past semester, chances are good you've heard one (or five) complaints about my quantum mechanics course.  Because I did not get my undergrad degree in physics, I've had to make up a few of the major courses that I missed out on.  Quantum mechanics is a widely feared topic by physics students so I was terrified going into this course having little interest in the subject and not having taken the prerequisites for the class.  It's been an interesting semester scrambling to keep up with the class conceptually and try to find where in my brain I buried my calculus and differential equations knowledge while staying on top of my regular coursework.  Many tears have been shed over this class so I can't tell you how happy I will be today at 5 when my final is over (yes, my final is on a Saturday, boo.) 

Studying for the exam I've concluded that everything we have learned has brought us to the conclusion summarized in these two figures in the book.  I thought I'd share them with you so you could join in my amusement of the subject. 

I figure if I don't know the answers on the exam, I can draw the cat and see how it goes...

Iced Almond Sugar Cookies

Until yesterday, I had never heard of a Blog Cookie Party/Exchange.  I am someone who is affectionately referred to by my Husband as a "cookie monster," so the idea was obviously intriguing to me.  I think the basic idea is that bloggers blog about their favorite cookie recipe and share them in a collective spot for everyone to get some new ideas for the holiday season.  

With the timing of the “event” coinciding with the kickoff of final exam week, I knew I had to make the cookies that serve as my motivation during most of my late night study sessions.  I thought I would share with you my addiction love for iced almond sugar cookies.  Hope you enjoy!

Cookie Dough

2 sticks margarine (1 cup)

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Mix all ingredients.   

Roll into balls and flatten slightly on cookie sheet.   

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 

Allow to cool on wax paper. 

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tsp water to get desired thickness

Spoon frosting onto cooled cookies.  Top with sprinkles (because no dessert is complete without sprinkles). 

These cookies have earned me many A’s… let’s hope they pull through again this week!

Thanksgiving Recap

We spent our Thanksgiving break this year in Texas with my big bro and his amazing family.  Our days were filled with lots of play time with the kids, eating too much seriously delicious food, shopping sales (well, that actually started about 3:30 AM on Black Friday), and enjoying our time with family.  I was terrible at taking pictures but do have a few to share!

Blake posing in front of the fireplace with the "Christmas socks"

boys went on a brewery tour in downtown Houston

yum!

brought back some rootbeer

mike and blake playing xbox kinect- I was sore for days from this silly game

more fireplace posing

my favorites :)

roasting marshmallows

our little quarterback- playing at the playground

probably making us some sand dinners

he loves Tebow :)

Thanks again to our wonderful hosts for such a great trip.  We miss you already!

Work it out

After enduring months of my begging nice suggestions, the Mister finally gave in to my endless requests to join a gym.  Apparently, he was planning on giving me the go-ahead as a Christmas gift and when I mentioned that the membership fees at the YMCA were waived until December 1st, he told me to go sign up!  I was so surprised and so thrilled. 

I enjoy running outside but have missed group fitness classes and the motivation from busy gyms that I haven't had since leaving GHFC.  I tried Vanderbilt's gym many times but the limited classes never fit with my schedule and driving 30 minutes each way for a workout is not something I ever wanted to do.  We now have lots of options including a brand new smaller gym a mile and half away and a huge one a few miles farther.  I've been a couple times and love it! I can't wait till Mike is over his horrible cold so he can come with.

Thankful.

My husband.
For being the best friend I could ever imagine.  He makes me laugh every single day and gives me the strength I need.  He drives me crazy and challenges me and loves me no matter what.

 

 

My family.
For loving me and supporting me in such an incredible way.  I’m so thankful for every single member and appreciate every second we get to spend together.

 

 

 

My niece and nephew. 
They are the greatest ever.  I love them as my own and more than I ever dreamed possible.  They never fail to make me smile.

 

My in-laws. 
For accepting me and giving me another family to feel at home with.

 

My friends.
For being the best friends any girl could ever ask for.  For growing up with me and always picking up right where we left off, regardless of the time or distance that separates us.

My education. 
I often think how lucky I am to be getting my dream degree at such an incredible school.  I love the program I’m in and that it is giving me the ability to help people beat cancer and have another chance at life.

My health.  
I'm reminded of this daily being surrounded by people, both young and old, fighting a battle I could never dream of facing.

My furbabies.
Mostly, they are completely insane and make me laugh, sometimes sweet and cuddly.  Sometimes they drive me absolutely crazy but I’m thankful we saved them from the shelter and gave them a family who loves them.

Look at Pouncey's paw around Jaz :)

And, the little things:

For the gators (yes, even this season).

For my Christmas tree, because it’s sparkly and makes me so excited for the holidays.  

For Nashville.  Because I was terrified to move away from home for the first time and was able to fall completely in love with this place.  

For running, because it keeps me sane.

For my mixer and the amazing cookies it makes me (all too frequently).

For good jeans, because they never fail me.

For using this post as an excuse to go back through wedding photos, because it was the best day of my life.

For Ugg slippers, because while completely unnecessary, they are totally amazing.

For Garth Brooks tickets, no explanation needed.

For Gainesville, because it will always be my home.  

Best. Dessert. Ever.

After staying up way past our regular meemaw/peepaw bedtimes last night to catch a late showing of HP7 (oh yeah... it was awesome!), we decided to figure out something fun to do at home this evening.  This goal often leads us to the kitchen to make something a little out of the ordinary.  Tonight, Hubs requested fried ice cream.  I've had many experiences with the dessert- most not so good (except for the ridiculous cake-like version at Dragonfly), but decided to go for it.  We combined a couple recipes we found online and the result was so delicious!  I was completely impressed. 

Ingredients:
Vanilla ice cream
Frosted flakes
Sugar cookies
Eggs
Cinnamon
Sugar
Toppings: whipped cream, chocolate syrup

First, make balls out of the ice cream.  I recommend keeping the hot water running during this process because you will inevitably have to use your hands and it will hurt.  Place them on wax paper and freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. 

ice cream balls

Next, make a mixture of equal parts (I used about 3/4 cup each) of crushed frosted flakes and crushed sugar cookies.  If you're lucky enough to shop at a Publix, their bakery versions are perfect.  Add ~3/4 T cinnamon to the mix. 

Roll the ice cream balls in this mix.  Not much will stick, but that's okay.  Freeze again for ~30 minutes.

minimal crumb "stickage"

Mix two eggs and 1 tsp sugar in another bowl.  Dip the balls into the egg mixture and then into the remaining cookie crumb mixture.  Freeze again for another 30 minutes or so.  Supposedly, you can repeat this process multiple times to make a thicker crust if you wish.  We were anxious to eat them so we opted for just one dip. 

ready to fry

Heat oil in a fryer (I'm sure you could do this on the stove with a little more effort) to 375 degrees.  Fry ice cream balls for about 15 seconds.  Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup (or honey if that's your thing) and enjoy!


 I can't wait to fry up the rest over the next couple days for more sweet, melty goodness.