Three things that made me happy this week:

 This tea cup. Filled with green tea. Just a little pop of color at work :)

 This AMAZING cupcake-you can tell I tested out the frosting before I took the picture :) This was from a client of ours for Valentines day :) Strawberry cupcake with cream cheese frosting and sugar and strawberries on top. There have been two desserts where I've smiled and actually laughed out loud when I tried it for the first time: Better than Sex cake and these. I called her and got the recipe :)

 Pineapple and strawberries. Something to keep these winter blues away. Nothing better.

Tim and I had our monthly date day yesterday :) We went up to Traverse City and shopped around at Pier One, the mall, Best Buy, and Old Navy. I had $15 off AND they had 40% off at Old Navy, so I got a new sports bra and two shirts for $15! I bought other stuff, but that was by far the best deal :) We also went to get my ring resized. Tim bought me a 6.5 because that's what I told him I was. Well, apparently I'm a 5! I must have lost some weight in my fingers lol. I tried on some wedding bands-they showed me three (PLEASE don't look at my disgusting bitten nails-they're not normally like that…also don't look at the scar on my finger. I swear, when can I go look at rings when my hands actually look okay lol)

 This one looks really cool…without being on my hand. I think if it were actually in my size, it'd look better; but it's hard to picture. It is cool that my ring just slips in the middle. Makes it look COMPLETELY different.

Sorry for the crappy quality. My iPhone was sucking with its clarity.

 This next one was really pretty, but I had the same problem as the previous one: it seemed too bulky on my hand. I'm sure it'd look better if it were in my size. I also don't like the fact that you don't technically see the wedding band? It just looks like a huge engagement ring. I like seeing them separate. I want people to know I'm actually married-I'll have waited long enough :)

 This one I love. And it was the cheapest. I think the others were like $700-this was $250 lol. I really like the simplicity. 

 It's a tough decision! I like the fact that the upper two are protecting the ring, but I think I like the bottom one the most. What do you think?

Today I'm bringing you a very short summary of December…because I don't really feel like writing about Christmas. Not because I don't love it, because I do, but because the sun is out today; I feel like I should be writing about Spring, detoxing, spring cleaning, flowers, or something. All of which I won't be doing today because it's not spring and it's super cold outside lol. I will say I have my Tahitian Coconut candle burning, so that's boosting my spirits today :)

 These are some cups I'm debating about getting from Pier One. They're just so different and cool. I love them.

 And this is totally awesome; but I suppose the more I look at it, I think having a cake stand would be nice if it were more plain. Obviously a cake with peanut butter frosting or something like that wouldn't match. Hmmmmm...

 This picture is from a weekend we had no power, I believe due to heavy rain/snow/winds. Our house got below 59 degrees, which is SUPER cold for us; we don't have to pay for heat, so we keep it around 70-72. We were SO COLD and were super thankful when the heat came on. And yes, we are so lazy that when it came time to take out the air-conditioning unit way back in September, we just set it on the floor and have yet to move it…that and the screen for the window.  I will also admit that because we couldn't cook dinner, we had fast food. And it was awful. I still can't believe I used to eat so much of it. It just tastes fake and gross. And I'm talking about KFC popcorn chicken and potato wedges, which is something I used to get all the time. I guess this is a good thing though-it shows I'm doing something right with what I'm putting in my body :)

This is as far as we got for taking our family Christmas photo lol. She HATED IT!!! Any ideas on how to keep the hat on the cat???

 This was at my previous job's Christmas party-my last day was the Friday before, but they still invited me…and gave me a gas card, which I just used this past week :)

 Christmas at my sister's house :)

 Chocolate-covered marshmallows on candy canes made by my sister-in-law :)

 Presents from Tim :) A pie crust protector (I obviously asked for these-how else would he have thought of getting me this lol-although, if he did, I would have been super impressed). I just hated getting SO FRUSTRATED when the aluminum foil would keep coming off!!! Ugh. Now I don't have that problem :)

Can't wait to make some burgers!

 I absolutely LOVE these books.

Our Christmas tradition-having a Harry Potter marathon. I love it.

Christmas at my parent's house

 This says "Emily's Dresser". Apparently I used to brand everything lol

Benjamin took this picture :) 

This is Tim's nephew…I swear they were at this for more than an hour lol. He was having so much fun :)

This was at my dad's birthday, when he realized he would be driving his motorcycle this summer :) We all chipped in and paid for the insurance. He was so happy :)

Okay, so I feel happier now that I've written this, even if it was about wintertime :) Now time to research buying a camera bag and video camera!!! Tim and I and some friends are going to Boston in March and I need those things ;) We're making a pit-stop at Niagara Falls, and I've ALWAYS wanted to go there. I'm so excited! Planning a trip in March is definitely something to keep away the winter blues :) That, and my sister is HAVING HER BABY BOY in approximately 2 weeks!!! I'm super excited to meet him. I just did some pregnancy photos for her yesterday. They turned out great :)

This past December, my sister, spinninginthemud pottery, was in a craft show...

 Her husband is super crafty too-he made the "cake stands" for their wedding, and they've been able to use them for her pottery now :) He also made the wooden pens.

It was a lot of fun, and my sister sold TONS of her pottery. She is currently taking a mini-vacation as they are due to have a baby at the end of February, but she'll be back! Keep watching her etsy site for new items-you won't regret buying them :)

Summary from November 2012...

 We spent a Saturday helping my family cut up wood and stack it for the winter. We couldn't have asked for a better day. And what a workout!

 This is the MOST AMAZING sandwich from Rolling Farms Cafe in Traverse City. I swear, it's cooked to perfection. Loads of bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and I think there's some sort of mayo on it. SO GOOD!!!

 My awesome, preggo sister preparing the table for Thanksgiving dinner :)

I love our family dinners-everything is always delicious :)

We decided Thanksgiving night that we were going to go up to Traverse the next morning to go Black Friday shopping :) Tim worked until 1am, so we left after that.

 I've found it's pretty impossible for me to wear my contacts all day and night, so glasses it was :)

 Tim's breakfast…mmmmmmm….nothing better than gas station burritos lol

 DONUTS!!!

 Day after Thanksgiving-this is my third cup of coffee. I was surprisingly not too tired, although I did pass out after lunch :)

 My sister made DELICIOUS tortilla soup-she put in leftover turkey. It was so good.

 My older brother is a published author! Want to read it???

Alaric, Child of the Goths:

Alaric, son of a Gothic clan leader, wants nothing more than to live an adventure. That is, until his young life is interrupted by a series of brutal acts: the raiding of the savage Huns, the cruel trickery of greedy Roman officials, and the murder of his father. Meanwhile, another clan leader named Fritigern leads the Goths in battle against Rome's armies. But they endure-and from that moment on, they are driven to survive in the face of death, to make a home for their people, and to exact revenge on Rome at the epic battle of Adrianople.

I am so proud of him.  He's even finished a second book and is hoping to get it published soon :)

Christmas will be up next lol :)

Double Chocolate Pudding

Serves 6 (or 2, depending on how much you like chocolate)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pinch salt

3 cups milk

2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (approx 1/2 cup…you can always add more if you want it super chocolatey, like I did)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring, over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Serve warm or chilled.

I also chopped up some more chocolate and put it on top. You know, because this recipe needs more chocolate.

I experimented a little bit and added some coconut extract too. It was okay, kind of like an almond joy without the almonds; however, Tim likes it with vanilla best. Experiment though and see what you like!

Compliments of the Food Network Magazine :)