New Makeup!

Mom and I have been hooked on these YouTube videos showing how to apply MAC makeup. Our favorite to watch is panacea81, check her out if you have about 10 minutes. Today we went to the store and mom asked them to try some on me. I love it and we both left with a bunch of new products.

Guitar Lesson

Dodge bought me a guitar for Christmas! This morning we woke up and
there is no power. Not expected to be back on until 4pm. So Dodge is
giving me my first lesson. My finger tips hurt but its fun!

Christmas Exchange Curse

I've been cursed with holiday gift exchanges pretty much my entire life. This trend started in preschool when instead of a nice toy, I excited opened my gift of shoe strings. Mom always told me "Just say thank you and cry when you get home" so I'm really good at pretending I love the crappy gift I get.

This year's entry is a lovely assortment of items I got from the work gift exchange. First off, in the back is the jumbo universal remote. It's a real remote just it's huge. It's just slightly smaller than Oscar. Next on the list is a special pair of shocking office supplies. Yes, they are a fake pen and stapler and if you attempt to use them, they'll shock you. Hard too! It actually hurts. Lastly is the lovely pooping snowman. You press down on his head and a little piece of poop candy comes out his butt.

Other holiday gift horrors would include toilet paper (not even good toilet paper, the cheap rough stuff), a pooping santa (but I now have a set!), a singing motorcycle santa figurine, I could go on and on. Maybe I'll write a book someday of what not to bring to a gift exchange.

Merry Christmas Dodge!

Pack your bags and get ready for a fabulous 2nd Anniversary. I have booked us a cruise to Alaska!

7 Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise Sailing On Rhapsody Of The Seas
Departing 22-Aug-2008 from Seattle, Washington

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart	Activity
22-Aug	Seattle, WA		4:00 PM
23-Aug	Cruising			Cruising
24-Aug	Juneau, AK	11:00 AM	8:00 PM	Docked
25-Aug	Skagway, AK	7:00 AM	8:30 PM	Docked
26-Aug	Tracy Arm Fjord, AK	7:00 AM	12:00 PM	Cruising
27-Aug	Prince Rupert, BC	8:00 AM	6:00 PM	Docked
28-Aug	Inside Passage			Cruising
29-Aug	Seattle, WA	6:00 AM

Christmas Party

Mom had a big holiday party. The kid's made gingerbread houses & the ladies had an ornament exchange while the boys were downstairs playing poker. Christy and I were lucky and got to make both a gingerbread house AND do the ornament party. My house is in back on the left.

I got a really nice golden ball with a print of santa and 2007 written on it. I'm pretty happy. Everyone else was fighting over the light up tree bulb and the snowman ornament. It was a really good time.

See more photos from the Christmas Party!

Christmas Cookie Update

Yesterday morning, I finished making the cookies and set them up nice and pretty. Snapped a picture of my handywork and proudly displayed the picture of my work on the blog. I made myself a cup of coffee and settled down to a cookie and coffee for breakfast. After tasting the new peanut butter cookies, it was very much decided that they were disgusting and went into the trash. It's really too bad as they came out looking perfect and I was so pleased with them. Guess I'm going to have to go back to making the full fat cookies and we'll just have to be responsible enough to not over-endulge.

Last night I made some Cream Cheese Finger cookies and they turned out very good. Dodge likened them to pecan sandies (which explains why I like them so much). I used the regular recipe, just substituted the cream cheese for fat-free variety. So I'm glad that all my experiments aren't such a horrible failure. That's a picture from the magazine I got the recipe from although mine do look just like them.

This morning I attempted to make Mom's Sugar Cookies. I made the dough last night and let it chill and this morning just broke off a hunk of dough to make up a quick dozen cookies. They turned out great and taste very good. I think I'm starting to get mom's recipe down! The kitchen aid mixer seems to be the tool that's really helped me. Mom doesn't use one but apparently I need it!

Only one more cookie I plan on making (besides a regular batch of peanut butter cookies for Dodge) and that's a rugelach for Mom's Christmas party this weekend. Hopefully they turn out!

Christmas Cookies!

Yes, we are still doing Weight Watchers but Christmas isn't Christmas without cookies if you ask me. To help us stay good, I researched lower fat cookies.

I found this peanut butter cookie recipe. We'll see if they pass the Dodge test when he gets home. They are his favorite. I also made some chocolate truffles. I just substituted fat-free sweetened condensed milk for the regular stuff.

Both are easy to fit into our diet as a snack so I'm excited. I plan on making two more types of cookies this weekend.

Surprise flowers

Dodge got out of work early yesterday and when I got home he was there with this beautiful bunch of roses on the table. They're a sort of orangy-pink color. Very pretty!

Our Thanksgiving

I attempted cooking my own thanksgiving feast this year. I'm pleased to report that it was a huge success! The turkey came out perfect. I'll definately try this again next year. Dodge and I stuffed ourselves and now are relaxing.

Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving dinner at mom's was delicious! We both ate too much but it was all too good not to try everything.

Thanksgiving Morning

We woke to probably about a 1/2" of snow. That little brown spec is Oscar playing in it. The first official snowfall of the season. Snow was blowing around last week but none of it stuck.

Dodge is busy making us some French toast but we're saving our appetite for dinner at mom's today.

Jon and our Xbox 360

Jon babysat the puppies for us while we were in Chicago and got hooked on our oblivion game. Every once in a while we get home from work to find him here; in my chair, with my controller & my blanky playing. It makes me happy to see my brother more often even if he came to play, not to see me. :-)

My Iron Chef

Dodge got a new sushi book today as well as Japanese headband to wear when cooking. He came into the room with a triumphant call of "Morimoto"! I had to take a picture. He's so dang cute.

My personal challenge

Here it is! My 6000 piece puzzle I bought in Chicago. I do not have a time limit but I am challenging myself to complete this monster. Right now I'm just hoping the kitchen table is big enough for it!

All shopped out

Dodge making a final purchase at Crate & Barrel. I am definately pooped out.

Got some delicous cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. Thank you Wayne for hooking us on that!

We got some really nice stuff. I got a 6000 piece puzzle. Dodge got some sushi plates and he bought me the softest blanky & pillow ever! He says its a Christmas present but he's letting me nap with it on the way home.

Dinner

Dodge waiting in line for our dinner at Gino's east.

The coolest thing was while waiting in line, Dodge saw the stars from the tv show "Supernatural" in the candy store next door. He loves that show!

Chicago

This weekend we are visiting Chicago for our annual Christmas shopping trip. I'm a little bummed that I left my purse at home. At least I won't buy much.

Jamie 25 lbs Lost!

This week's Weight Watcher's meeting went really well. I have reached the 25 lb loss mark! As a reward I got this snazzy key chain charm. I wasn't expecting to do as well as I did this week (4.4lb loss) so reaching this goal was a very pleasant surprise.

Jamie Picture

Eric hooked me up with access to pictures from the house parties and I found a pretty nice picture of myself from the Halloween party at Paul's. Compared to me 20 lbs heavier (see wedding photo in title), I think I'm looking better! Oh and it was a good hair day which also helps.

iPhone Halloween Costumes

I thought this was pretty awesome. The screen actually changes because it is a LCD screen connected to a video ipod.

Sushi Night!

Dodge has been making sushi has a sort of hobby for him. The man loves sushi and would probably eat it everyday if I didn't get sick of it. He's very good at it even making tempura battered rolls.

Tonight Dodge made a wonderful spread of sushi. Crazy girls, black dragon rolls, a couple experiments and some nigiri. As usual, it is all delicious!

Dodge's new glasses

We both got our eyes examined today. We both ordered new glasses and contacts. Pictured here is Dodge with his glasses.

We also stopped at Gamespot and picked up a xbox 360 elite. Dodge picked out the Naruto game and I picked up Oblivion. We can't wait to get home and hook it up.

Zoltar!

We found a Zoltar machine in the mall and Dodge tried it out.

Where's my bologna?

Dodge very lovingly takes the time each morning to prepare me a sammich for my lunch. I'm insane in that I love bologna sammiches. Apparently we were out of bologna this morning and I got a veggie turkey like sammich. Which is fine, its not bologna but I can eat it. Except that I didn't know it wasn't bologna, took a bite saw the sickly grey meat and promptly spit it out thinking it was rotten bologna.

Poor Dodge takes the time to make sure I get a good lunch and I'm not able to eat this sammich because of my initial reaction to it. I do appreciate you taking the time to prepare it for me, sweetie! It just caught me off guard.

More Halloween

Sarah's girls: Jessica, Sydney & Mollie.

Halloween

Becky & Susan (cousins of Jamie) stop by for trick or treats!

Vienna in the leaves

All the puppies love playing in the leaves. I was able to get Vienna to sit still long enough for a quick photo.