Miscellany Monday {15}: Birthday and Cinnamon Roll Edition

People, I made the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls on Saturday.  One of the better decisions of my adult life.  I bought her cookbook this summer when Border’s was going out of business (although you can find the recipe here as well), and I’ve been wanting to make these for months. 

They are holy- cow-is-this-for-real-get-outta-town good. 

We ate four between the two of us and then had to freeze the other pans immediately, or they would have been gone last night.

I’m also planning on trying her mac ‘n’ cheese recipe this week. 

In other words, just roll me into the New Year, baby.  I’ll be taking gifts of elastic waist pants for Christmas.

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So, I turned 27 on Wednesday.  Chris made me feel better by telling me that really 27 is closer to 25 than 30, since you can round down, at least until June.  I’m allll about that.  In all honesty, though, I had one of the best birthdays I can ever remember.  Seriously.  Through the years I’ve had school on my birthday, then in college I often had finals and/or vocal juries, then one year when I was teaching I actually had to conduct TWO concerts on my birthday (not scheduled by me, clearly). 

This year, Chris was able to take off work (there was a whole big issue with him not getting his original vacation days, but this part of it I was okay with!).  We went out to breakfast (my fave), did some errands together, came home for the afternoon and then went back out after dark to get Starbucks and look at Christmas lights (I had a free coupon from Starbucks for my birthday….any size….I ordered a venti, baby.  First time ever!  I was milking that free coupon for all it was worth! lol)

When we came home we watched The Help.  I laughed, I cried.  Absolutely loved it.  I highly recommend it! 

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This is what I’m getting for my birthday and part of Christmas.  I have been wanting a big wall mirror for months now, and I looked on every conceivable website to find one that I liked.  This one from Kirkland’s won out.  I waited until it went on sale and then ordered it.  It shipped last week so I am anxiously awaiting it to get here!  I want to put it above our head since we don’t have a headboard.  Except I have visions of it crashing down on us in the middle of the night and both of us going blind.  So we’ll see.  When I went to the website just now to grab the photo, I noticed that it’s out of stock!  Whew – made it just in time! :)

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When we water our tree, it smells more piney.  Isn’t that so weird?!

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Our Christmas cards are in the house and mostly addressed and ready to go.  I was definitely getting a claw hand yesterday afternoon – wishing I had coughed up a few bucks and ordered address return labels a month or two ago!  How many Christmas cards do you all send out?  I do 50, and that’s my max.  Just because.  lol

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If I can get my act together, I will give you a tutorial this week on how to make an ornament garland.  If I can’t get my act together (much more likely), I can at least promise you that I will be back for two parties later in the week:  The Nester’s Christmas Tour of Homes on Thursday (it’s like Fall Fashion week for home bloggers), and then 320 Sycamore’s Favorite Things party on Friday (I have participated the last two years – see 2009 and 2010.) 

I loooove both of these parties and seriously look forward to them every year.  I love to sit down with coffee or hot chocolate and browse through the links.  You get such great ideas! If you’ve never joined before, you definitely should this year!

 

See you then!

P.S. Chris actually has tomorrow and Tuesday off (hooray!), so we are going to watch Elf tonight.  I love that movie.  I actually saw it on my first date ever with Chris!  Except it wasn’t a date, because we were “just friends,” but he planned it and paid.  So…..basically yes, a date.  :)  It’s on sale this week at Target for $7.99!