10 Years in the Making

I have been waiting a very long time for this.  According to my mother, it has been 9 and half years.  It has been a tradition in our family to have our stockings either knitted for us or cross-stitched.  Specifically my mother has cross-stitched all of ours (5 kids).  With life getting in the way, it has taken my mother slightly longer to get my stocking done.  I think to help compensate she made mine far more detailed than she did the rest.  Aaaannnd I LOVE it!!!

The week before Christmas was my sister's birthday.  We got together again for her traditional Birthday Cookie Day  It's starting to become one of my favorite sister traditions.  I think my favorite part is getting to see my niece and nephew.  :)

Adorableness

Betty Crocker won't be calling me for decorating tips.

Brian and I added to our State-cation list by visiting both the history museum and the natural sciences museum.  Currently, the traveling Titanic exhibit is at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.  When we took our first trip to the museum we went to the history museum....thinking the Titanic exhibit was there.  It is a historical event, right?  Anyway, after two hours of walking around the museum we never ran across the exhibit.  Being pressed for time, we decide we'd leave and try again another day.  As soon as we stepped out of the doors, we saw banners for the Titanic exhibit at the Natural Sciences Museum.  The Natural Sciences Museum is literally across the walkway.  We apparently were completely oblivious to ALL of the signs as we walked into the History museum.  Oh well.  It gave us an excuse to go back.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the Titanic exhibit because it was prohibited.

Hubby loves anything military

Seems so ideal

Little bit of trivia: Pepsi was invented in NC

very symbolic, I enjoyed this part of the exhibit

only picture from the Natural Science Museum

Since the holidays are here, my Crossfit schedule has been pretty out of whack.  I'm a routine person, basically Type A personality.  Because of my busy schedule, I can only make it to Crossfit at a specific time.  That class time tends to be the one cut from the holiday schedules.  Now don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy being able to sleep in.....but I think I've begun to enjoy the sense of accomplishment in my day that I get from Crossfit.  I need to learn to appreciate each day, Crossfit or no Crossfit.  Maybe I should take up running.

I'm that girl

I think I've officially reached that stage.  I can't stop talking about Crossfit.  My sister says I'm obsessed.  I feel majority of the time that it is the best thing that I have done with my day.  I feel so accomplished and I can't deny how much I love the compliments I get from loosing all of the inches.  I literally hid the scale from myself because I swore off the idea that the scale was a definition.  I wasn't overweight when I began my Crossfit journey.  I was just out of shape.  I actually haven't taken measurements either.  I can just tell you from the clothes that I wear and the energy I have on a daily bases how much I've benefited from Crossfit.

Today's WOD (Workout of the Day) was very important to me.  I petitioned for our box to do this Hero WOD.  Hero WODs are signature workouts given specific names of service men and women who have died in combat.  Well recently a Hero WOD was floating around Facebook designed after one of the teachers killed at the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, Victoria Soto.  She was a teacher for 5 years in room 10.  She died on 12/14/12.  She was 27 years old.  Because today is Christmas Eve, normal class times were not running.  I woke up bright and early to get to the 6 AM class before work.  I was proud to see all of the people who showed up for this class.  We did 5 rounds of 10 Thrusters, 14 Box Jumps, 12 Sumo Dead-lift High Pulls, 12 Burpees and 27 Kettle bell swings.  It is workouts like this one that make me proud of the community that Crossfit inspires.  I don't have any pictures of us completing the WOD.  I have yet to get the hang of taking pictures on a regular basis, especially if I want to get serious about blogging.  But you will see some in the future, sweaty mess and all.

And just to toot my own horn, I achieved a personal record this week of 105 lbs on the Clean and Jerk.  To see an example of this I pulled a short YouTube video. Clean and Jerk demonstration.

On a slightly different note.  Merry Christmas!!  I hope everyone is having a peaceful and lovely holiday.  I'm glad to be able to spend it with my family.  So from my family to yours, here is a little holiday cheer.

Zeta Eve (named after Christmas Eve, the day we got her)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Total awesome Christmas presents

As some of you already know, I'm a simple person. I don't require much. Every once and awhile someone comes along and gives me a gift that is just a perfect addition to my life. This last Christmas I received two (basically three) perfect gifts that fit my personality. Let me preface by saying I LOVE coffee and wine. A day that includes both is pretty damn close to a perfect day. My sweet, loving and thoughtful sister, Jane, gifted me with Brookstone's automatic wine opener. 

Best present ever!!

 For those who have not had the pleasure of using an automatic wine opener...you don't know what you're missing.  The base in which the automatic wine opener sits has a built-in foil slicer.  GENIUS!!  :)  I have had the chance to use it four times since Christms and have cheerished every opportunity.  For the coffee enthusiast out there my other present(s) should tickle your fancy.  Interestingly enough, I don't care for automatic coffee makers.  For the past year or so, I have been using a made from recycled plastic Bodum french press.  It's simple.  It's easy to clean.  Makes fantastic coffee.  The added benefit here is that my husband is not a coffee drinker so not that much coffee needs to be made.  It's ideal for my daily routines.  My other sister, the eldest, Ruth and her husband purchased me a new, fancier (say it with a southern accents) french press.  But that isn't actually the present that has me all in a tizzy.  The best present is a Bialetti Moka Express.  It's an Espresso maker, old school style.  It's so simple an extremely easy.  Best part, or at least I think, is that when my husband and I plan any camping trips in the future I will be able to bring this along.  No coffee, even on vacations, makes me a grumpy person.

My very first espresso maker!

A recipe concured

I am tickled pink.  My mother helped me create a recipe I once adored by my Farmor (father's mother in Swedish).  For years I have hoped to recreate a goulash recipe my grandmother use to make when I was a youngin'.  Unforunately a few years ago she passed away at the rip ole age of 90.  My sisters have plummage through boxes and boxes of recipes but have not been able to locate my personal favorite: goulash. 

Momma

God bless my mother and her impecable memory. Even after 27 years she has been able to remember the ingredients my grandmother used to make this particular dish.  We still need to make some modifications but here is what we've managed so far:

I look just like my mother

1 to 1 1/2 lb of ground beef

12 - 16 oz of wide egg noodles

1 can of Contadina tomato paste

1 can of cream style corn

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp of mustard

1 medium onion - chopped

Goulash

Brown hamburger

Add chopped onion

Drain fat from the hamburger

Add tomato paste

Add can of diced tomatoes

In a separate pot, cook the wide egg noodles.

Drain noodle liquid in a measuring cup

Add meat mixture to noodles

Add about 1/2 (2-3 cupps) of the "noodle water" to mixture.

Add the can of cream corn

Stir

Add 2 Tbsp of mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste