christmas photos

I love that the Prew family has a real Christmas tree. I have never had a real tree before and it's nice to not have to take care of it but get the perks of it. I have been there since Sunday and although I miss Steve and Fifa, it is nice to be sitting at home on my couch.

So many presents and so much love. We miss Cole so so much. It sucked to not have him around this Christmas and I know they all felt the same way.

Steve and Brian both got airplanes as gifts and by the end of the day.. both of them broke. Brian's plane crashed in the yard and broke. Then we went to the golf course to fly Steve's and his crashed into a tree and broke. It was pretty amusing. Fifa enjoyed opening all of her gifts, eating and playing with them all. She is too cute. I can not believe she is 4 years old already.

It was a great Christmas. It is nice to have a family to be with during the holidays since my family is so far away. But, I do get to go to Thailand in six days and see my parents. I think that is a great Christmas gift. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday as much as I did.

christmas time

vegan brownie cookies

I am not a huge fan of baking cookies, it is the one dessert I have not been very successful with but this one is an A++. I love brownies, so brownie cookies just sounded like a fantastic idea. I first discovered this wonderful idea from one of my favorite food blogs Love and Olive Oil for her cookie swap. I thought it was an amazing idea, all I needed to do was veganize it.

After searching and searching I discovered a great recipe by That's So Vegan and it was love at first sight when they were finished. They tasted amazing. I love love loved them and so did all of my coworkers. Today is the last day of work for the rest of the year, most of us anyways. I plan on coming in a few days next week to get some work done (and the extra money doesn't hurt) but overall, it is our last day of work until the new year. My last day until January 22nd because Thailand here I come! 12 days and counting.

Brownie Cookies
Ingredients
1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup organic sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For chocolate dipping
vegan chocolate chips or bars
1 teaspoon of vegetable shortening, as needed
Rainbow sprinkles

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together soy milk, flax seeds, canola oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Sift in cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and stir until a dough forms (I recommend using a spatula to mix and fold ingredients together).

Roll the dough into about 1 1/2" balls and place them on the cookies sheets, at least 2" apart in case of spreading.

Bake for about 9-10 minutes. Let cool before dipping.

Place parchment paper out for dipped cookies. Melt chocolate and shortening in the microwave or double-boiler, make sure not to overheat the chocolate. If you're using a microwave, like I did, heat in 15-30 second increments.

Dip half of the cookies in chocolate, place on parchment paper, and add sprinkles. Let the chocolate cool and then enjoy!

Source: adapted from That's So Vegan and Love and Olive Oil

These were absolutely fantastic. No, seriously, they were. But a tip for when you're mixing the ingredients all together, a spatula! I tried to use a whisk and it was too think and I went for my amazing spoonula (my favorite baking utensil)

on that tragic day

not turn into something that defines us, but something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate and more humble people


To those in CT, the families, and victims.. my heart goes out to them. Terrible things keep happening that should never happen, it is time to come together and be better. I think what one of the fathers said about all of this is so true. May they all rest in peace.

And in a tragic weekend, I had to say goodbye to a dear dear friend, Steve's 14 year old dog, Cole. He was an amazing dog. He turned 14 on Saturday, such a fighter and a trooper. Fifa's birthday was yesterday but it was a sad day to say goodbye. At his home we all gathered around to say goodbye to a wonderful dog who had a great long life. I am so happy I got to be apart of it. He will be missed so very much.

RIP Cole ♥

7 & 13 days.

MIA = crunch time during finals.
One 12-15 page paper and one final left.
One week and I am finished my semester. THANK GOODNESS.

13 days until Christmas. It has been hard to get excited because I'm so busy with schoolwork but I have been getting Steve's presents ready and can not wait!

Next year will be more "Christmas-y" because I won't have to worry about school and I can decorate to my hearts desire. It will be awesome. Until then, back to studying. I hope you all have been having a great December so far!

thailand: ONE MONTH!

Only one month until I visit my parents in Thailand! I can not wait to go back again! It has been about two years since I've been back so it will be nice. I can not wait to see my parents and their condo and everything!! I will be counting down the days.

And this was on my 25 at 25 list. HOORAY! I need to update that soon. I will, I swear!

currents: november edition

DATE // 11.29.12

WATCHING // Rutgers vs. Louisville game

READING // Economic research papers on unemployment rates (*yawn*)

LISTENING // to the ESPN commentary

EATING // vegan veggie pot pie

DRINKING // my favorite, water

ENJOYING // Rutgers winnning 14 to 3

THINKING // how I am procrastinating with the football game and not finishing my paper

LOVING // the holiday season and my semester almost being over

WONDERING // how to make this paper 7-9 pages

CREATING // Christmas list for Steve!

WANTING // ice cream, badly



Update: Rutgers choked and we lost :(

life right now.

I have no time to do much of anything at the moment and my blog, as much as I love it, has to be put on the back burner until classes are over. That also means Project Life gets pushed back too, which makes me sad for right now.

There is no way that I can justify taking a few hours of my day to scrapbook when I have two papers due in 2 weeks, a final exam, and forums due. BUT I will be back in full swing mid-December.

I may post a few pictures here and there but for now, school is more important. I love taking the time to read my favorite blogs though, we all need a little bit of indulgence in our lives. Let's just say that my life is going well, a few rough patches but in the end I am a strong person and I am capable of so many things.


A few pictures to some up what life has been these past few days and Thanksgiving (aka Tofurkey for me)..


A few points.. my parents left for Thailand - good for them, my best friend Priscilla got engaged, I moved out of my apartment (that's the change in my life), Christmas is coming. YAY.


Good night everyone!

ten things i'm thankful for right now

During this holiday season this seems to be the perfect post. Thanksgiving, being thankful, family and friends, and having off of work (ha).

ONE | My parents. Through the tough time I am having right now with my living situation I am so thankful I have them to lean on and to help me. I know that no matter what happens I can always move home and have a place to stay. Although they are leaving on Sunday they will help me however they can from far away. Technology is a beautiful thing in this situation. It has been difficult these past few days and to have their support with my move is wonderful. I love my childhood home too so it is great.

TWO | Steve. I am not sure what I would do without him in my life. He is so supportive in everything I do and is so encouraging through all of the stress. Between school, my living situation, our future, and everything he is so amazing. He helps me whenever I need it, especially when it comes to taking care of our baby Fiferdood. I love our family and how much we truly love each other.

THREE | This blog. Never did I think I would continue to update this blog over and over again. It has been so special to have a place to write down what is going on and to keep family updated when they are not around. It has brought another sense of community to my life, I love to read old posts and look at others lives as well. Again, thank you for technology in bringing us all together.

FOUR | Determination. This year has been a crazy year of determination and focus. Being a full time student and working a full time "big girl" job is not easy. Not. At. All. My life has been full of homework, papers, and lists. I love the lists, they really do help me get through everything. If it was not for my determination, I would not be finishing my Masters degree as quickly as I am.

FIVE | Friends. They are some of the greatest people I know. My best friend moved out and away, got engaged, and still is there when I need it. My new roommate, Taylor, is pretty awesome and I am going to miss the nights where we sit around and do nothing together talking about recipes. My high school friends and all of the new ones I have made this year. They mean so much.

SIX | Vegetarianism. The best decision I have ever made regarding my health. I could not be happier to have made this decision and even though this is the time for turkey, I am thankful I no longer eat it. I feel better about my health and my body. I know that the decision was mine, although some people think this was Steve's "fault," I made the decision myself and have never regretted it. Cooking has never been so fun. I will never turn back.

SEVEN | Project Life. I love love love this project so much. It makes memory keeping so much easier, so much more fun, and the organization of it is wonderful. I am so excited to share this book with my future children and have the ability to look back on these years with Steve and smile. I love the idea of this book. It has made documenting and keeping notes on my life so much fun. Thank you Becky Higgins for creating something so wonderful.

EIGHT | Having a job at a University. I could not be more thankful to have this job a) because the economy is so bad and I have a job and b) I get to go to school for free. Yes free. And by free I mean they pay for my tuition and I pay for the extra computer, online, whatever else fees. The University pays for about $9000 and I pay maybe $1000. It. Is. Wonderful. I will graduate with a Masters degree with no debt whatsoever. It is great. I could not be happier with this outcome and this job.

NINE | Fiferdoodle bear. Her nickname is longer than her real name but it is so much more fun to say. She is everything to me. I could not ask for a better dog than this one. No other dog snuggles as good as she does. She has made me grow up faster than I had ever expected. She is the best thing ever.

TEN | Holiday spirit. I love the holiday spirit during this time of the year. I love what it brings out in people, although I believe people should be this way all of the time I am happy to see others helping one another. I am happy to see the spirit of the holiday's bring out the good.


Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Be thankful for all that you have and appreciate those around you.




This idea comes from Ali Edwards' post and I loved it so I decided to participate!

project life | week 44 & 45

Week 44.

Hurricane Sandy. That was week 44 and still continues to have an affect on some of us, thankfully my family is okay and so is Steve's. The hardest part was losing power, that sucked but over than that it was not as bad as it could have been. Steve's parents had no power for 12 days and a tree fell on their house but did no damage, thankfully. We tried to make the best of the storm, running out to find somewhere that was open for pizza, rain rain rain. It didn't rain as much as it should have, which was great because everything would have been worse. The park across from my house had tons of trees that fell over.

We made the best of it at work by getting ready for Thanksgiving/Tofurkey Day (because I don't eat meat) and we all made hand turkeys! How exciting. My coworker brought her daughter in so I taught her how to make her first hand turkey.

The best vegan pizza I have made by far! It was so so perfect! Daiya cheese is amazing for vegans.




Week 45.

Hooray for snow! NOT! I don't think I would have had a problem with snow if it wasn't for the fact that we just had a hurricane! It didn't stick for too long but some people got it worse than us. I voted for the second time in my life! WOO!

Atlantic City with my family. I love hanging out in AC just gambling and people watching. People watching is so fun down in AC, especially near the clubs, you can definitely get a good laugh.

I hope everyone is having a good Project Life! And have a happy Thanksgiving!
My life has changed in the past few days and I am glad it has, it will work out for the better. I will write more on this later :)

project life | week 42 & 43

Week 42.

I love love love these Ali Edward's Days of The Week stamps. I like using them for the "This Week" type of cards. I also used some Kelly Purkey stamps for embellishments on different cards. AND stamps from my mini stamp shop. I have become obsessed with rubber stamps, I think most of us have caught the fever.


Week 43.

The best news this week? I guess I have two big thing:

1) Taylor Swift's new album RED came out and I absolutely love it because I am a T-Swizzle fan.
2) My trip to Thailand! WOO-HOO! After speaking with my parents about it I decided I wanted to visit them before I started my Spring semester. January 2 - January 20th. HOW AWESOME! I haven't been since May of 2010 and I can not wait to visit again. BEST. CHRISTMAS GIFT. EVER.

The biggest hurricane I've seen in my lifetime was predicted the Sunday of this week and next week I documented a lot of it. It was a rough time and it still continues to be a rough time. Revive. Rebuild. Restore.


I am trying my hardest to keep up with Project Life! School is coming to an end and research papers will be due in just a few weeks so PL will be put on hold for a little while or not as up to date. Other than that I still love this project and can not wait to continue it for 2013! Documenting Thailand will be a-ma-zing.

weekend recap

My brother came to visit from Boston for his girlfriends birthday! We went home to South Jersey to eat lots of food and hang out with my mom. She makes the best food in the whole world. I miss it when they are in Thailand, Steve keeps telling me how I need to learn. I kind of know how to do it, sort of? hah. Fifa enjoyed her time down there too, we have a fenced in yard and she is able to run wild without running away. She tired herself out by Sunday night, I loved it.

We went to meet my dad in AC, ate dinner with my aunt, my family is a little crazy and I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way. We will all get together again for Thanksgiving in 2 weeks (!?). Steve and I played Rapid Roulette for most of the night, I was up $90! This is very exciting for me. We took a break to wander and hang out with my brother and his friends, watched them play Blackjack and Craps (no idea how it works). We people watched - it is amazing to watch the people who are going to the clubs, HIGHLY entertaining!

By the end of the night we lost the $100 I had won and we were done for the night haha. It was a lot of fun. The outlets were great, it didn't look like much damage was done to that area, we didn't venture to the boardwalk so I have no idea how it looked. I hope it was okay but I can not be so sure it is. When we drove home to pick up Fifa, my dad really wanted to stand in front of Steve's car and take pictures haha. I think he wanted to show people in Thailand the nice car.

Overall, a great weekend! I can not wait until Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations, Christmas, and all the happiness and joy it brings! I am definitely a Christmas person. November 26th the music will begin everyday, all day until Christmas!

How was everyone's weekend?

here & there

It has been a rough week. I am so exhausted and behind in schoolwork that I don't know where to begin. Steve still does not have power and we are at about day 12. He has been staying with me and my roommates, my room is not equipped for two people all the time. So it has been rough but nice to be able to sleep next to him every night.

Voting. My second time voting and I actually knew what was going on, I watched the debates and made my own opinion. I wish I could have said that about the last election but some things you can't change, the present is what matters. And I am happy with the outcome.

I love my coworkers for joining my childhood antics and making hand turkey's with me. There are more added to this but since then I was happy with the amount on there! Work has been busy this week, robots going down makes it hard to get work done.

Fifa oh Fifa. I love this dog more than anything as she sleeps on my laptop right now. She loves and hates the snow. She loves to run around and eat it as fast as possible but as it hardens and gets colder she has a hard time going to the bathroom. I put her snuggie on her that her dad (aka Steve) bought her for Christmas and she is so cute in it. And yes, snow.. after a hurricane! Mother Nature is hitting the East Coast hard. With a hurricane and a nor'eastern comes a water advisory. We went out and bought a ton of water, the next day it was over haha.

Hope everyone else is having a good week.
Only a few weeks until Thanksgiving!

project life | week 41

I'm almost all caught up, but taking the pictures is the real problem. Since it gets so dark so early I have a difficult time after class.

Things are starting to get back to normal, sort of, just when we thought we were in the clear we received a "Water Boil Advisory" in our town. Steve and I bought tons of bottled water and this morning they fixed the generators but we are still on advisory. Some people still don't have power and it is getting cold. The Nor'easter is coming and I hope it isn't bad. Let's hope for the best.


Week 41 seems so long ago, well because it is.



A sneak peek at Week 42 title card. So colorful.

I keep trying to decide whether or not I want to continue this in 2013. I think I do because it is going to be a big year of change for me. Graduating with a Masters, moving to California, new job/new life. We shall see what 2013 has to offer us. I can not wait.

Oh, and I am getting into the Christmas spirit already. Starbucks started with their holiday cups, I ordered a peppermint mocha latte and then proceeded to stall out and spill it on myself. No alarm! Still in good spirits. I went and voted this morning so yay!