Paula Dean's White Hot Chocolate

If you're looking for a yummy hot drink for the winter, try this. We had some at the New Year's Eve party we went to this year, and it was scrumptious.

Ingredients
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish
Mint leaf, for garnish

Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until heated through. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and garnish with mint leaf.

These are a few of my favorite things

December was such a good month and a great way to end the year. Josh and I really made an effort to enjoy each moment as it came so we wouldn't get overwhelmed with busyness, which I'm thankful. There's so much to do during the season that I don't want to rush through it all and not enjoy it.

I love so much about preparing for the holidays. ... pulling out the Christmas movies and Cd's ... making our home festive with Christmas decorations ... creating and sending out our Christmas cards. I enjoy shopping for the perfect gifts; although that can get a bit stressful sometimes when I can't make a decision on which one is the perfect one! I love going shopping with my mom and meeting friends for lunch. And getting together with all of the extended family. I am truly blessed.

Here's a few pics of our holiday fun...

1. Christmas at the Zoo with my highschool girlfriend and her family.

Aren't their kids adorable? They have two boys and a little girl (wrapped up in the baby sling) that are so much fun. Their oldest son told me very matter of fact that his mom was making him look at the Christmas lights but he didn't care about the "boring lights." He'd rather look at the animals. I love seeing things like the zoo through children's eyes.

Aren't they cute all bundled up? We were watching the penguin swim here.

2. The annual Mayes Christmas cookie bake.

Us gals in our aprons and getting ready for some yummy baking.

The guys putting the lights on the live tree while we bake.

3. Our annual family birthday/Christmas celebration.

My sister and her husband's birthdays are only 6 days apart in December. It's become a tradition that we all get together to celebrate. It's now grown to celebrating several other November/December birthdays and Christmas at a dinner together. I love it that we continue this tradition and are sure to see each other before Christmas.

Now you see why I can’t be perfectly happy. . .

...Nobody could who has red hair. I don’t mind the other things so much—the freckles and the green eyes and my skinniness. I can imagine them away. I can imagine that I have a beautiful rose-leaf complexion and lovely starry violet eyes. But I CANNOT imagine that red hair away.” --Anne of Green Gables

In case you haven't seen my facebook profile pic, I dyed my hair red. Actually, Jeanie did, and she did an awesome job! It's funky and cool and something I've wanted to do for a while now.
But it is closer to a deep red auburn than "just plain ol' red" as Anne Shirley would say.

I love the movie Anne of Green Gables. Anne has been a staple in my life since I was a child. We use to get to pick out movies in the summer to watch while doing chores like snapping green beans or folding laundry, and needless to say, I believe it was Anne that we watched the most. We all loved her. And her red hair was one of the major worries of her childhood. She even dyed her hair green one time on accident in the hopes that it would be come a "beautiful raven black" because a boy in school called her Carrots.

One of my favorite scenes is when she's leaving for school. Her "adopted parents" Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are standing at the train station waiving good bye to Anne and say:

Marilla Cuthbert: I'm afraid for her, Matthew. She'll be gone so long. She'll get terrible lonesome. Matthew Cuthbert: You mean, we'll get terrible lonesome.
Marilla Cuthbert: I can't help wishing that she'd stayed a little girl.
Matthew Cuthbert: Mrs. Spencer made a lucky mistake, I guess.
Marilla Cuthbert: It wasn't luck; it was Providence. He knew we needed her.
Matthew Cuthbert: Even with her queer little ways.
Marilla Cuthbert: I loved her for them.

If you're looking for a great movie to snuggle up to this winter, you gotta see
Anne of Green Gables http://www.amazon.com/Follows-Colleen-Dewhurst-Richard-Farnsworth/dp/B00005YNTR/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262447040&sr=1-3
and Anne of Avonlea http://www.amazon.com/Follows-Colleen-Dewhurst-Converse-Jonathan/dp/B00005Y7AN/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262447040&sr=1-5
You'll fall in the love with the characters and Anne's story.

2nd Grade Poetry

Hard to believe that Spencer's already in 2nd grade. His class went to Barnes & Noble for a poetry reading this year. Both sets of grandparents, parents and Josh and I were there to cheer on Spencer. He did a great job. Afterwards, he said his poem (by memory) for us. He's so smart!

It's hard for me to believe that Spence is already 7. It seems like just yesterday that he would rub that back of my hair and the front of his hair when he was tired. Now, he's into movies and superheroes and reading like crazy. (No more spelling things we don't want him to hear in front of him. ;-) Here's a pic of him showing me his missing tooth. He's now missing THREE teeth, which he says looks like the shape of a t-shirt. Did I mention that he has a great imagination too?

Got a New Groove in Town!

Recently, my nephews were over at our apartment, and Chase requested that we have a dance party. Thankfully, I pulled out my camera and video taped him doing his signature moves. We have no idea where he got these, but check out the stellar head bop and kick moves. Watch out Usher!

After dancing for a while, Chase also had to put on his coat and gloves. Of course he got hot, but he didn't want to take off his down jacket because it was so cool. So we had to take off his shirt and put his coat back on for more dancing. What a stud.