Homemade Holiday

This year I opted to make many of my friends' and family's gifts. A lot of thought, time, and love went into them (as well as the careful wrapping), and I think they turned out quite well.

1. Keep Calm and Craft On with vintage frame for Phoebe

2. Knitted leaf hair clip for Rachel and Emily

3. Knitted Ravenclaw scarf for Kaylie

4. Knitted lace necklace for Tori and Dahlya

5. Knitted slippers and tie for Domenico

6. The Help quote for Mom

7. Painted quote board for Kate and Domenico

The final product!

Christmas baking

Yesterday, Mom, Emily, and I made the season's first batch of cookies. We baked Russian Tea Cakes and Jan Hagels (my personal favorite).

Jan Hagel Cookies:

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbl. water
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease jelly roll pan (15.5 x 10.5 x 1 inch). Mix butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Blend flour and cinnamon. Stir into butter mixture. Pat into pan. Beat water and egg white until frothy; brush over dough. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 20-25 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cut immediately into finger-like strips.

Lighting the zoo

The other day, my family, Domenico, and I attended Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo. It is one of my favorite holiday traditions and truly gets me in the Christmas spirit. It doesn't get much better than cacti strung with lights, in my opinion.

5 years

Today, Domenico and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary. It is pretty exciting. We've had some good times since 2006, and I hope there are more to come.

Sophomore year.

Francois Dillinger and Sheeni Saunders from Youth in Revolt (Sadies)

Schuster and Pillsbury.

Prom.

I made Domenico a little anniversary gift that is cute and still functional.

I hope everyone else has love and happiness in their lives right now. Celebrate it!

TWO DAYS.

Learning goals

My first semester of college is quickly coming to a close. This seems like a good opportunity to review some of the serious and not-so-serious things I have learned thus far about lyfe at college.

1. Do well on all the tests. ALL OF THEM. There are usually only about three, so you do the math. Study.

2. If you don't own yoga pants and a pair of Uggs, prepare to feel like a minority. I also have yet to master the I-just-left-the-gym-and-grabbed-a-Starbucks-passionfruit-iced-tea-look.

3. Don't put your craft box on the top shelf on the closet. No one is there to help you get it down when it's DIY Christmas time.

4. Yes, it is really easy to make a bad habit of not going to class, but it's also really easy to get in the habit of just going.

5. Sometimes it's ok to take a break and miss a class.

6. Have music ready when your neighbor decides to get intimate. Dorm wall are thin, guys.

7. Experience new things. I go to school twenty minutes from home, but I still managed to discover new areas. Ok, this mostly took place in downtown Phoenix, but it felt like a completely new area to explore. I did college stuff like attend concerts, arts festivals, thrift and vintage shop, and poetry slams, and roller derby tournaments.

8. Keep in touch. If you make a habit of talking to friends who have moved to other parts of the country, it really is possible to hang on to them and plan awesome holiday parties when they come back over break. Thanks Kaylie!

It's been a pretty good time so far.

Payson

Taking full advantage of Veteran's Day, the gang (Eric, Rylee, Domenico, and I) took a trip up to Payson to celebrate Eric's birthday. We slept, read, golfed, thrifted, explored, and played cards/old-school video games. I think it was quite a success. (And I'm still back in time to read Othello and write those essays...)

Classy: Golf attire by the fire.

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekends!

The most wonderful time of the year

It's November, and the tights have officially come out. Although I don't get to enjoy the excitement of first snows that many of my friends residing on the east coast do, it's hard to complain with 65 degree afternoons. The plants are still green and the sun is out despite the morning chill. I believe I'm a west coast girl.

Sweater-clad in my Tuesday writing place.

What I want to look like right now.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, yet it can't get here soon enough. Not only are many members of my extended family making the trek to AZ, but friends I haven't seen in months will be returning. There will be lots of hugging and talking and baking and eating and crafting in Kaylie's room.

This time of year also seems to bring Domenico and I closer together. Not only is it when we began dating (we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary in exactly a month), but it is also perfect cuddling weather.

Oh my. So long ago. Domenico and Erin circa March 2008.

Love is even in the air on Glee tonight. Watch it. Be thankful and merry.

You know what's scarier than Halloween?

How long it has been since I last blogged.

Ok, glad we can move past that now.

Halloween is so wonderful because...
a) It means that the weather is finally starting to cool down here.
b) I've always loved to dress up...
c) ... and eat a lot of food.
d) I get to watch great scary movies from back in the day (see below).
e) The holidays are officially beginning! What a wonderful time of the year.

I wouldn't stay dead either. I decided to be Betty Draper from Mad Men as a zombie for Halloween. (If you are at all familiar with the story, I decided that her daughter, Sally, murdered her due to their crazy mother-daughter relationship. The 60's, man.) I used exclusively items I already had and experimented with zombie make-up for the first time. Even if few knew who I was, I still think the results were pretty successful.

Domenico made a very nice Allan from The Hangover. We were pretty craft with the baby carrier, I must say.

Now, it is time to watch those scary movies and eat homemade caramel apple cake.
Happy Halloween!

Tuesdays

The past few weeks I have been going through periods of intense stress ("Oh my god! I have to start that paper for my Human Event course! I haven't touched my Honors Contract in weeks! I have to find internships and get published and find a respectable job, or I'll be living by the canal and one day drown unbeknownst to anyone!!!") and lulls of "I'm fine. I can totally handle life." This morning was the former. Right now is the latter.

Every other Tuesday (starting today) a farmer's market comes and sets up shop on campus. Their location just happens to be right next to where I kick back on my secluded, shaded bench and watch cats/work on my short story entry for an hour every Tuesday. What a lovely coincidence!

What's on my mind:

1. Glee.

2. Holidays. (Halloween and Christmas with the gang.)

3. This cheesecake. Martha Stewart you kill me.

4. My birthday!! 19 years, here I come.

Guess who I get to see in three days

These kids! I've missed them in my life.

And this girl!

put a stitch on it

I have found myself quite often sitting in my dorm room with a pair of needles in my hands the past few weeks. I created an Etsy shop in hopes of generating at least a little revenue. The result?

1. Bows!

2. Faded necklace