Looking back on 2013

Welp, we are officially at the end of the year. Since I only blogged for about a quarter of 2013, I thought I would complete a year-in-review questionnaire for posterity. Vital information follows, folks.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? 

Hmm. Off the top of my head: lifted weights, visited a Japanese (style) spa, and went to the driving range.

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I tend not to make resolutions, I find it's an arbitrary time to set goals for myself and I do better when I come up with them at other times.

3. Did anyone close to you die? 

No one super close. I've been very lucky in that respect (knocks wood).

4. What places did you visit? 

DC, Las Vegas, the Bay Area, Texas (Houston/Austin), Santa Fe, Gunnison, and Vegas again.

10,000 Waves spa outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Most relaxing vacation ever.

5. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? 
More resolve. I do well with starting toward goals/beginning projects, but I'm not great at finishing things.

6. What dates from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
April 8: Started my current job, the first one I've liked in a long time.

August 22: Celebrated five years of being married to T. Bob.
September 12: The day the Colorado floods started.

It's hard to believe it's already been five years!

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a job I actually wanted/enjoy! And getting healthier.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Probably not doing any work on the house. So many projects, so little time!

9: Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. I probably had a cold at some point.


10. What was the best thing you bought?
My car. I really love it. It's reliable and gets amazing gas mileage.

My beloved Prius. Although this photo may indicate otherwise, it is not great for mountaineering.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Into buying a new car. Totally worth it.

12. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Probably "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Not for any special reason, but they were pretty ubiquitous this year, and it was on my gym mix so I heard it a lot (and it's my favorite song to climb stairs to).

13. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? Happier, for sheez.
b. thinner or fatter? Thinner. Still working on that.
c. richer or poorer? About the same, I think.

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had made more of an effort to be in the moment. I think I spent a lot of time documenting things (via Facebook, or taking photos, or blogging) and I needed to remember to be present a little more. It now seems counter-intuitive that I started a blog in the midst of that realization, but oh well.

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
CANDY CRUSH. I wish I knew how to quit you. But I've cut down, at least.

16. How did you spend Christmas?
At my parents house with my immediate family. We relaxed and played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity, so it was pretty awesome.

17. What was your favorite TV program?
BREAKING BAD. Holy crap, that show was incredible. I also really like New Girl, The Mindy Project, HIMYM, and Homeland (even though it had a sluggish start this year).

18. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate at this time last year?
I really don't. I'm working on not hating people.

19. What was the best book you read?
"I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids" by Jen Kirkman. Novel-wise, probably "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.
20. What music did you get excited about?
Anything I can work out to. Also became a big fan of Bruno Mars this year. And Pentatonix is awesome.

21. What was your favorite film of this year?
Don Jon. LOVED IT.

22. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 on February 21. I went to DC the weekend before to visit my friend Jena, which was really fun (and freezing!). I think on the actual day, I went out for Indian food with my family. Then we spent the night in Denver and I got the best massage ever.

Me in Washington, DC, in February.

23. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Less commuting. I work about 35 miles from my house, and all the time wasted sitting in traffic gets to me sometimes.

24. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
I don't think I put enough thought into it to call it a concept. I guess I like to look put together yet still casual. I'm working on accessorizing.

25. What kept you sane?
Gym time, and T. Bob.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Probably Matt Damon. Or Bradley Cooper. I have kind of a thing for gingers, so maybe Damian Lewis or Louis CK. Apparently I like men in the their 40s, although that is not at all true in real life.

27. What political issue stirred you the most?
Reproductive rights are always big for me, and gay marriage/civil unions. The idiocy behind the shutdown really riled me up, too.

28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
I've been working on this for a while, but learning to be content. I feel like I'm always striving to do/be more, and while it's good to have ambition, I don't have to be superwoman. I heard this mantra on a podcast and it's really stuck with me: "I do enough. I have enough. I am enough."

29. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 
"But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You've gotta get up and try." From Pink's "Try." I found this applicable on both metaphorical and literal levels this year.

I think we'll end there. I hope you all have a great time tonight; I'm going to a friend's house to make pizza and watch movies, which is basically my ideal evening, so I'm pretty pumped. Happy New Year!

Top 10 Movies of 2013

A snapshot of movies I've seen recently from my virtual ticket stub book. Tis the season to go to the theater!

Happy week after Christmas, y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had lots of fun with friends and family and got some great gifts, so no complaints here. :) I wanted to do a few year-in-review style posts for the blog, but time got away from me, so I cut a few down to one: my favorite movies of 2013.

We go to the movies a lot – I saw 48 just at AMC theaters this year (this post is in no way sponsored by AMC, but I'm in their Stubs club so it keeps track online. And the AMC by my house has reserved, recliner seating, so it's the best theater ever and we go there all the time). So I have a pretty large pool to choose from. That being said, my choices are completely subjective (obviously) and based totally on my feelings about the film. Without further ado, I present my top 10 movies of 2013:

10. Promised Land - As I tweeted before watching this, "only Matt Damon could get me to watch a movie about fracking." But I'm glad he did, because it was really interesting – Damon's character, who worked for the oil company but earnestly wanted to help the landowners, presents an argument I hadn't really thought about before. And even though I'm sure it was fictionalized (and therefore maybe not that accurate), I actually learned a few things about fracking that helped me form my own opinion.

9. About Time - This movie really surprised me. I went to see it out of convenience (we wanted to go to the movies and it was playing at the right time) and was shocked by how much I liked it. I guess I should've known, as it was directed by Richard Curtis, who made one of my favorite movies of all time, but I didn't see it coming. It was just so dang charming. And even though it had a fantasy element, I found it more grounded than a lot of romantic comedies.

8. The Impossible - This was one of those movies that isn't really enjoyable to watch, but it's so powerful that it sticks with you. It follows a family vacationing in Thailand when the 2004 tsunami hits. It was based on a true story, which really added to the emotional punch for me.

7. Saving Mr. Banks - Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies growing up, but I had no idea what the story behind it was. The blend of P.L. Travers' backstory and unwillingness to loosen her grip on her beloved characters and Walt Disney's magical worldview was really fascinating. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were perfection, as per usual. And Paul Giamatti was great as Travers' driver (and first American friend!).

6. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - I really enjoyed the Hunger Games novels, and while movies generally don't live up to the books they're based on, I thought this one was pretty great nonetheless. I think they adapted the story as well as they could have, and the movie was riveting: great performances, great costumes, and great special effects. I would never have guessed it was more than two hours long, because it went by in a flash. I'm ready for the next installment!

5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - I've been dying to see this movie since the trailer came out months ago, and it did not disappoint. A great story about what it means to live life and be adventurous. I thought Kristen Wiig showed some range in a more dramatic role, and Ben Stiller (who also directed) has come a long way since Zoolander. I haven't seen the older movie version nor read the book, but I'm curious about them now.

4. Before Midnight - the third "Before" film (after Before Sunrise and Before Sunset), it picks up nine years after the second film, with the central couple now married parents of twins. I enjoyed the movie's discussion of long-term love, commitment, and how relationships ebb and flow. Also, the movie was filmed in Greece and everything looks Mediterranean and lovely.

3. Liberal Arts - the only movie on the list I didn't see in the theater, but I loved it so much I had to include it anyway (it came out in 2012, but since I watched it in 2013, it makes the list). The movie was written and directed by its star, Josh Radnor (of How I Met Your Mother fame). In a way, it's a coming-of-age story, even though the main character is 35. And it features a relationship that blossoms via letter, which I think is really romantic and adorable. Lastly, Zac Efron has a small part and totally kills it, destroying my idea that he was just a pretty face.

2. The Way, Way Back - I'm a little obsessed with bildungsroman/coming-of-age stories, and this is a great one. A 14-year-old boy spends the summer on the shore with his mom, her boyfriend, and several colorful neighbors. Steve Carell plays against type as the mom's douchey boyfriend, and Sam Rockwell is outstanding as a slacker water park employee. It was heartwarming without being predictable or trite.

1. Don Jon - Far and away, my favorite movie of the year. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt (or JGL, as I like to call him), and he wrote, directed, and stars in this film. I thought it offered a new perspective on love and sex and the way our expectations around each are formed. It was really refreshing, while still coming off as funny and sweet. Also, JGL might be the most charming man alive.

And there you have it. Now that I'm done, I've realized how hard it is to put into words why I like something. Good thing my dream job of movie critic hasn't panned out. What are some of your favorite movies from this year?

Gingerbread Two Ways

Plate of treats I made last year - including my beloved gingerbread, bottom right.

I've been known to make copious treats for the holidays. In years past, I've taken a vacation day in the week before Christmas and spent several hours in the kitchen, concocting 4-5 types of cookies and candy. This year, I decided to scale back a bit. I'm trying to lose weight, so I really don't need dozens of cookies around. And I just don't have the time or inclination to bake that much this year. Thus, I decided I would make only my very favorite cookies this year: gingerbread.

I came upon this recipe after going vegan in 2008. Some recipes can be "veganized" by subbing vegan margarine for butter, etc., but that can be hit-or-miss. This gingerbread, however, is what I like to call accidentally vegan, in that the recipe doesn't call for any dairy or eggs. I'd never been a big gingerbread fan, but this recipe changed all that. It makes a soft, spicy dough that you can cut festive shapes out of and pipe adorable decorations onto. Perfect Christmas cookies.

This year, though, something went awry. I think it was because I used blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses (as it was the only kind King Soopers had, and I was too lazy to go to another store). The dough was so gooey it was nearly impossible to roll out, and it was so sticky I couldn't get the cut cookies off the counter in one piece. I tried chilling the dough for another hour, then adding some extra flour to dry it out, but it didn't help. I also tried cursing it into submission, but (shockingly) that didn't work, either. My first instinct was to just give up. This quote, from the excellent film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, came to mind:

I was disappointed, because baking is my thing and I make tons of treats every year and everyone would be expecting them. I thought about making a new batch of dough, but that would've put me way behind schedule. But then I remembered a Facebook exchange I'd had with an old friend after writing this post. I came away from it resolved to stop getting caught up in holiday crazy and focus on doing things I enjoy and spending time with people I love. So I decided to stop stressing and make it work.Yes, I wouldn't be making my usual gingerbread men that everyone thought were so adorable and yummy, but I could still salvage the approximately five pounds of dough I had (yeah, I tripled the recipe) and make something, right? So I rolled the dough into balls, popped them in the oven, and hoped for the best.

Gingerbread whoopie pies with peppermint buttercream filling. 

I ended up with super soft, really flavorful cookies. They're not terribly sweet, so I used some peppermint buttercream I had in the fridge (cupcake leftovers) to up the sugar factor. I sandwiched them together, crushed up some candy canes to coat the sides, and voilà! Cute Christmas treat. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it still turned out just fine.

Gingerbread Cookies

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup shortening
¾ cup dark molasses (or blackstrap, if you're in the mood for whoopie pies)
1/3 cup cold water
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cinnamon 

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and water. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours. If you're aiming for whoopie pies, roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. If you want gingerbread men, roll out dough to ¼” thick. Cut cookies and place 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

The peppermint frosting was made using the buttercream recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but I subbed peppermint extract for vanilla. If you choose to make gingerbread men, I usually ice them with a mixture of powdered sugar, water, and a dash of lemon juice (just add the liquid a tablespoon at a time to powdered sugar until you've reached the taste/consistency you want).

In closing, I offer you my takeaway from this experience: work with what you've got and try to enjoy the ride, because everything's going to be just fine. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

High Five for Friday

Sheesh, this week absolutely flew by! That seems to be a common occurrence lately, as I just realized that today is the second-to-last Friday of the year. In an attempt to stop and savor the good times in this whirlwind, I present this week's high five.

1. I had such an amazing time celebrating Mal's graduation last weekend. There was great food, great people, and lots of fun.

Clearly, we are a very classy and refined group.

2. I've been having some neck/shoulder pain on and off for several weeks, so I finally went to the chiropractor on Wednesday. I feel SO much better already! I'm going back this afternoon, so hopefully I can get back to full functionality soon.

3. Cirque Dreams Holidaze - this year's holiday outing was something new and different for us, and I really enjoyed it. It was a great combination of Christmas music and death-defying stunts. It's not everyday you get to see dudes dressed as gingerbread men doing flips or flying through the air.

4. One of the Elf 4 Health challenges this week was to hold a wall sit for as long as you can (this article explains how to do one, if you've never heard of it). I'd never done one and was pretty intimidated, especially after seeing the times posted on Facebook – some ladies did 6+ minutes! But once I decided to face the music, I just kept breathing through it and ended up holding it for 4:36, way longer than anticipated. It served as a good reminder to continually challenge myself and push my limits in my workouts.

5. These peppermint pretzel sandwiches are the easiest to make and so yummy – I love the salty/sweet combo. And there's no batter to prepare, so you can make a few at a time if you want to limit your portion size. Recipe (if you can even call it that, with two ingredients) from Young Married Chic.

These would make a festive treat to leave for Santa.

Posting will be light next week with the holiday, but I will have my favorite Christmas cookie recipe for y'all on Monday, so be sure to check back if you're going be baking. As always, linking up with Lauren and Jennie. Happy a wonderful weekend!

Things I Used to Love: Love Actually

My Love Actually poster. I got it when I worked at a video store in college and it's graced every home I've had since.

Since there's one Thursday left before Christmas, I have a final holiday throwback for you: Love Actually. I have to say, right out of the gate, that I still absolutely love this movie. I'm not really a fan of most traditional romantic movies: they're unrealistic, or they reinforce gender stereotypes I don't agree with (I submit Exhibit A for your consideration). And don't get me started on movies based on Nicholas Sparks books. But not only is Love Actually one of my favorite Christmas movies, it's one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME. Top three, for sure. Something about it really struck a chord with me, so it’s easy for me to overlook any rom-com cheesiness involved.

The voiceover that opens the movie really sets the tone for the whole film. I loved the quote so much, I printed it on all of my Valentines the following February (I used to be BIG into Valentine's Day, but that's a story for another time):

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion that you'll find love actually is all around."

The movie follows the lives of several Londoners in the weeks leading up to Christmas. We have the more traditional, grand-gesture love stories: The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant), who develops a crush on his catering manager, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). Jamie (Colin Firth), who harbors strong feelings for his housekeeper (Lucia Moniz) despite a language barrier. Or Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who has a complicated relationship with his best friend's new wife (Keira Knightley). But I really enjoy the quieter, everyday relationships: Jack (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page), who start dating after working as (naked) stand-ins on a movie together. Or the aging rock star (Bill Nighy), who comes to realize the important role his manager (Gregor Fisher) has played in his life. I also like the familial relationships, particularly between Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his stepson, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who charter a new course after losing their wife/mother.

I first saw Love Actually in December 2003 (a decade ago?!? Eesh). I had just finished my first semester at CU and decided to treat myself to a solo movie to relax after finals. I have a clear memory of driving home afterward: it was around midnight, snow was falling, and the world looked so peaceful. I felt revitalized and inspired to tell/show people how important they were to me. Since then, I make a point to watch it at least once a year, particularly around the holidays, and it always has the same heart-melting effect. Thus, I feel it more than earns its tagline of "the ultimate romantic comedy," particularly given that one definition of romantic is "inclined toward or suggestive of the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love." It's not just about the guy getting the girl in the end, it's about being excited about possibility and investing in the important relationships in your life.

The film is not for everyone. I'll never forget sitting at Christmas Eve dinner and listening to my grandma call it "the best porn [she's] ever seen." I was horrified and tried to argue its virtues to her to no avail. And when a girl in my journalism classed called it a trainwreck, my only retort was: “But love ACTUALLY IS all around!” I don’t think I changed her mind, either. There's also plenty of online backlash, but I know better than to argue via online comments so I will just say haters gonna hate and let that one go. But in my eyes, Love Actually is about embracing love in all of its forms, and I really can't find fault with that.

Guest Post: An Expert Learner

Happy Hump Day, y'all! Can you believe Christmas is one week away? Craziness. As you know, I've been participating in the Elf 4 Health challenge for the past few weeks, which has been a really fun experience. Today's challenge is Share Your Expertise, and an elf had the idea to organize a blog swap so we can share our tips with a new audience. So without further ado, I'm going to turn things over to Danielle from Running Mom to 3 so she can drop some knowledge.

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Hey guys!

A big thanks to Laura and our Elf for Health challenge for giving me this opportunity.

I'm Danielle, I'm a wife and stay at home mama to 3- Madison, 9, Noah, 5, and Lydia, 15 months.

I blog over at Running Mom to 3. I'm fairly new to the blog scene, and I am loving it! I started writing back in April when I started running, and have continued to document my running journey as well as sprinkle in some proud mama moments.

Our Elf for Health challenge for today is to share our expertise. Since honesty is my policy, I had a hard time deciding what to share. Before I quit my public accounting job 2 years ago, I would have definitely given you a laundry list of year end tax saving ideas. But now, I'm so far out of that game, I couldn't even give you one good tax savings idea.

The only thing I know for sure that I am an expert at is learning.

I like to cook. Every time I step into my kitchen to make my family a meal, I am learning how to become a better cook. I'm learning when to keep my stovetop heat down, and when it's okay to turn it up. I'm learning what will cook better in my nonstick skillets and what will cook better in my stainless skillets (can we say nonstick for the win?!). Sure, I have made my fair share of rubbery chicken or burnt potatoes, but I've also made a few great dishes.

I dabble in photography. I'm nowhere near a good photographer. But every time I pick up my camera to capture a moment or a smile, I am learning how to capture the moments better tomorrow. I have to smile to myself when my picture comes out with little to no editing needed, knowing all that reading has paid off.

I like to run. I may even be considered a runner to some. Each day that I run, I learn how far I can push my body. I also learn to push myself more tomorrow. I continue to be amazed at how strong I have gotten since April. I love adding new workouts into my workout schedule so that I can run longer, faster, further. I will consider myself a runner when I stop getting faster, hopefully that will be a title I always work towards.

Most importantly, I strive daily to be the best wife and mom. I used to I wake up everyday with great intentions of being the best wife and mom. Every night, I would go to bed discouraged about how horribly I failed at being "the best." Now, I wake up striving to be what my husband and my kids need, and I go to bed thinking about how I can be better tomorrow. I am learning from yesterday.

You can learn a lot from Google, and I have. But sometimes, the most important lessons to learn can't be Googled. I am an expert in learning, and I will get up ready to learn tomorrow.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ador and attended to with diligence." - Abigail Adams

Getting Busy

And by that, I mean my life is. Holiday activities are in full swing around these parts. For example, I meant to have this post ready to go for Monday morning, but this weekend was so chock-full of goodness, I just couldn't get it together until Tuesday. So, let's recap, shall we?

On Friday night, I met my sister, Mal, and some of Mal's family at Odyssey, a cute little Italian restaurant in Denver. The spinach ravioli was pretty dang tasty, and Mal's dad was a hoot! Then I headed home to bake, as one must on Friday nights when one lives on the edge. 

Cookies and cream cupcakes. The recipe will be posted at some
point, but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath while you wait.

On Saturday morning, I finished up my Oreo cupcakes, and we headed to Mal's graduation party in Centennial. It was fun to hang out with family and friends, and meet some important people in Mal's life. Her sister, Chelsea, also made a slideshow of photos of Mal through the years, which was totally cute. My favorite part, though, was Mal's reaction upon opening her gift from T. Bob and me:

So excited!

We gave her a Sega console (she'd been wanting one), and she was like a kid on Christmas morning. Completely adorable. We came home and watched Love Actually, which is one of my favorite movies – even though I may have fallen asleep by the end.

Sunday morning, T. Bob and I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. What I saw of it seemed pretty good, but once again I fell asleep, so I don't remember much. There are a bunch of holiday movies I want to watch, so I'm hoping I can break myself of this habit to avoid missing them!

Rockin' our sweet 3D glasses after my refreshing nap.

Sunday evening, we headed downtown for our annual Christmas date. I like to find a holiday-themed activity for us to do every year – in the past, we've gone to Zoo Lights, watched Miracle on 34th Street at the Arvada Center, and gone shopping for gifts for children in need. Just a fun activity to get us into the spirit. This year, we went to see Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Denver Center.

We started the evening at the Wazee Supper Club, which I had never visited before but really liked. The decor was cute and the food was really tasty. We had pierogies and stromboli, both of which were cheesy and delicious.

View from our table.

After dinner, we wandered around downtown, window shopping and looking at all of the Christmas decorations, before heading to the show. 

T. Bob with the windmill at the German holiday market, off 16th Street Mall.
They had food, ornaments, and roasted nuts that smelled amazing. 

The show itself was great, it was similar to a Cirque du Soleil performance, but it had some acts I had never seen before. My favorite was a couple who kept changing their outfits in a matter of seconds (seriously, like two seconds). I have no idea how they did it! But it was definitely fun to watch. Then we headed home and stayed up way too late to watch the season finale of Homeland (which was pretty intense! I'm not sure where the show goes from here, honestly). Overall, a great weekend. What did y'all get up to this weekend?

High Five for Friday

My dessert plate at my company party. That little holly leaf and tiny lemon slice are so cute!
Also, if you can't have four desserts at Christmas, when can you? 

Happy Friday, y'all! I've managed to banish my Scrooge-like attitude and have fully embraced the onslaught of holiday activities coming my way. Thus, this week's High Five is pretty Christmas-centric:

1. My company's holiday party was last Friday, and it was so much fun. Great food, cocktails, a white elephant gift exchange (where I scored a Vera Bradley wristlet!), and super-cute desserts. And it was great to spend some time with my co-workers outside of the office.

2. Gingerbread Oreos – tough to find, impossible not to binge-eat. Track some down, because they are delicious. I kinda want to go buy more now that I'm thinking about them.

3. The pug puppy version of Home Alone. So adorable!

4. I am done Christmas shopping and 90% of the gifts are wrapped and ready to party. I like to get that out of the way early so I can spend more time enjoying activities as the holiday approaches.

5. The arctic chill we'd been experiencing has finally worn off! It was downright frigid for about a week there, but the forecast is calling for highs in the 40s and 50s for the rest of the week. Not having to worry about your exposed flesh freezing when you go outside is definitely preferable.

So that was my week. Tell me about yours! As usual, linking up with the lovely ladies below.

Things I Used to Love: The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas

Ah, memories. This is exactly what my copy looks like, but I think it's tucked away at my parents' house somewhere, so this stunning visual is coming to you courtesy of Etsy. 

We're going to continue the holiday theme for Things I Used to Love with a real gem: The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas!

The Baby-Sitters Club started out as a YA (or even pre-teen) book series in the mid-'80s. It centers around a group of middle-school-aged friends who start a baby-sitting club. The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas is one episode of the TV show made based on the books, and it came out around 1991. I'm not sure how I came to own this VHS, but I'm assuming my parents saw it, knew of my obsession with the books, and thought it would make a great gift, which it absolutely did. I'm kinda surprised the tape never broke, because we watched this on repeat from Thanksgiving to Christmas for years.

The Special Christmas episode focuses on the baby-sitters as they prepare for Christmas, and hijinks ensue. Kristy, the president of the club, wants an expensive new baseball mitt and agrees to do extra chores around the house to help pay for it. The girls are also planning a party for the children at their local hospital to celebrate the season. And everyone goes Secret Santa shopping at the same store AT THE SAME TIME. But things take a serious turn when the focus switches to Stacey. She's diabetic, but she's been sneaking sweets and Dawn starts policing her behavior because she's concerned. Also, the younger Pete from The Adventures Pete & Pete is it is as a mischievous baby-sitting charge, so there's really something for everyone.

I'll admit, watching this as an adult I have to call it what it is: a total cheesefest. It's overacted, there's dramatic music to signify something bad has happened, and the plot points lack subtlety (to put it nicely). But it does have a good message (embracing the Christmas spirit and spending time with your friends and family above getting gifts). And it's only 29 minutes long, so you really haven't killed much of your life if you want to watch it. And since the entire Baby-Sitters Club series is available on Netflix, you can watch it anytime! Be sure to thank the sweet baby Jesus for that Christmas miracle.

High Five for Friday

My familia. This photo is somewhat misleading in terms of our respective heights, but a good shot nonetheless.

After taking last week off due to a stuffing-induced inability to function, I'm back with another High Five for Friday! There's lots of good stuff going on these days; it was hard to choose a top five. But here's what I've narrowed it down to:

1. It was my sister's birthday on Saturday and we all got together for lunch, then ended up goofing around and taking photos in the parking lot afterward. It was great to spend a relaxed afternoon with my family.

2. I met with my trainer on Wednesday after taking about a month off, and she kicked my butt! But in a totally great way. I've missed the extra motivation she provides to really push my limits.

3. Speaking of working out, I started a new gym playlist and I'm loving it. All of the songs are the perfect tempo for my jogging speed, and I find myself mouthing the words on the treadmill. If I wasn't out of breath, I'd probably break out in song.

4. The Elf for Health community – I haven't really forged a bond with my elf buddy, but I love the Facebook group. At first I didn't see the point of communing with strangers via the internet, but yesterday was makeup-free day, and it was awesome to see everyone's smiling, natural faces and the support everyone had for each other. So sweet.

5. I sent my friend Val a little Hanukkah care package last week (including these cookies), and her reaction upon receiving it warmed my heart. She had to walk to the post office to pick it up when it was -9 degrees outside and still sent me an exclamation-filled text about how much she loved it. The recipient's excitement is definitely my favorite part of gift-giving.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Linking up with Lauren and Jennie this week!

Things I Used to Love: The Muppet Christmas Carol

I thought for this week's Things I Used to Love I'd switch it up from TV shows and make the leap to ... a movie! Quite a stretch, I know.

I'm pretty sure The Muppet Christmas Carol is the first holiday movie I ever saw in the theater. My sister and I were spending the day after Thanksgiving with my grandparents in Boulder while my parents attended the CU-Nebraska game (back in the day, when CU played Nebraska and actually had a decent football team). We arrived at at the theater early and waited with my grandma while Grandpa tried to find a parking spot, stopped at the concession stand, and made our way into the packed auditorium. Nowadays, that kind of crowd would drive me crazy, but for 8-year-old me, it just added to the excitement and novelty of the day. We spent many a gameday with my grandparents growing up, but this outing sticks out as one of my fondest memories of that time.

The movie is a take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Muppet characters – in case you couldn't infer that from the name: Kermit and Miss Piggy are the Crachits, Gonzo is Charles Dickens (who narrates the movie), Statler and Waldorf play the ghost(s) of Marley, etc. There's a few non-puppet characters as well, most notably Michael Caine as Scrooge. It stays fairly true to the original story, but it also has SONGS! I love me some musicals, so this is icing on the cake.

While the Muppets were my first exposure to A Christmas Carol, I try to watch a rendition every year. The Denver Center does an annual production that is great, if you're into live theater. I also watched the CGI Jim Carrey version that came out a few years ago, although I'm not crazy about it. But no matter the delivery, I love this story and think its message is particularly relevant this time of year. It reminds me to be thankful for what I have, and of the importance of goodwill.

If you're looking for a festive film this year, Amazon has it on Blu-Ray, DVD and streaming video. Although I loved this movie as a child, I still think this is a fine holiday film for the whole family. But I know that's a pretty crowded field, so I'll open it up for discussion: what was your favorite Christmas movie growing up?

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

Now that it's December, I feel the holiday season has officially begun (I know it's already been Christmas for several weeks for some people, but I always like to hold off until after Thanksgiving to give turkey day its due). My weekend activities would certainly reflect that: I watched a couple of Christmas/winter movies (Frozen and Elf), put our Christmas tree up, ate some peppermint sticks, and started shopping for gifts.

Typically, I love Christmas. I spend a day baking around 10,000 cookies, and I plan out holiday shows and choir concerts to go to every weekend. I really like getting people gifts, particularly the excitement of picking out something I know they'll enjoy. And I love spending time with my family and friends who come home for the holidays. But as much as I want to be excited about this holiday season, I'm not. Maybe I'll get there as it draws closer, but right now I'm not really into it. I'm doing things I usually enjoy in hopes that they'll get me pumped about what's to come, but thus far it's not working.

Possible reason for my lack of Christmas spirit.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm getting a cold and not feeling awesome, or my dread of freezing temperatures (highs in the teens here starting Wednesday!). Or maybe I'm turning into a curmudgeon in my old age. But my Christmas spirit is definitely MIA. I'm hopeful I'll find it at some point in the next three weeks, but until then, I'll try to keep the Scrooge-like behavior to a minimum. If you have any tips on getting into the holidays (or you feel the same way and want to get together and shout "Bah! Humbug!" at people), please feel free to share. Happy Monday, y'all!