Thankful for Friends

Happy Thanksgiving! This year we had a few friends over for a low-key but very delicious thanksgiving meal. My friend Toan took the pictures and so he's not shown here, but the 5 of of us had a great time just eating and hanging out.

Bobby and I putting the finishing touches on the meal

Katie & Fatima

Carving the Halal Turkey

Fatima is one of my best friends and the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. Since she's Muslim we stopped in to the Halal Meat Market in Beaverton and were so excited to find Halal Turkeys! There were only 3 and we snagged one for the meal today. It of course tastes like any other turkey, but this year we also bought a Roaster (seen next to Bobby) and oh my goodness - sooooo good! Moist, tender, and the easiest turkey I've ever made. I will never bake one in the oven again.

The grub! The rolls were also amazing - which was a relief since I used a new recipe

Sitting down to eat

My dutch apple pie and homemade ice cream didn't make it into the photos, but believe me they made it into content stomachs! I and truly thankful for good friends here like Fatima, Katie, Toan, and Kim. And thankful for all my friends in Phoenix, Vancouver, and Salem. Can't wait to see my Phoenicians in a few weeks! Hope everyone had an excellent thanksgiving!

And my thankful little bee! (well, thankful to no longer be in costume...)

Autumn showers bring lowered Serotonin Levels

The rainy season is beginning here in Oregon. If it's like last year, it starts in November and ends in June. Well, June-ish. Well, July really. If I learned anything from last year it's that Seasonal Affective Disorder is real and any time the sun is out - enjoy it! So when yesterday turned out to be beautiful and sunny I dragged Bobby to the park.

Parks in OR differ slightly from those in AZ :)

I took a corgisbord of Sophie pictures. But let's be honest - she's the prettiest one in the group!

She looooves the grass

Sophie in attack mode

I love the two derpy pictures the most. One is pre-shake and the other was a "WTF is that over there!" moment

And I of course baked, but realize I don't post all my "creations". Mostly because I tend to lose my camera. But here's my two from yesterday:

My ol' standby: Oatmeal Choco-chip

and Coconut Macaroons!

I made Bobby promise me that every nice day we'll spend time outside. Of course, the only reason he agreed is that it's not a big commitment here. :)

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate my 2nd favorite holiday I did what I do best - Bake!

Caramel Apple Mini-Cupcakes

Gooey and delicious!

Dozens of sugar cookies

Even Sophie The Puffin dressed for the occasion!

I've decorated our whole attic-house for fall and with the trees actually turning colors outside it really feels like autumn. That and the fact that it's cold and getting colder!

I have to show off my favorite decoration - glass pumpkins I made with Mom!

Aren't they beautiful! It's amazing how much they let you do! I was able to blow the glass, shape it, add color, mold it, and pretty much everything except the stems. One of these beauties will make it's way to Phoenix to Mom, but until then I get to enjoy all three.

And a parting Halloween shot of the Puffin:

"Get me outta this thing!"

Quick Update

Wow - I can't believe a month has passed since my last update - time has flown by! This year is definitely harder then last, but as my mother encourages me  - "You are getting your doctorate after all!" The last month has been filled with studying and baking for me and work for Bobby, which he luckily loves but still wears him down. I'll try to find my camera this weekend to show off all the Halloween goodies I have planned, but for now I wanted to share the picture taken of the Senate Executive Commitee with yours truly!

Our advisor, Secretary, Chair, and myself - the Treasurer

Why do the days fly by?

I am finding that this year more than last I am finding myself feeling like the days are just slipping away from me. Sometimes it feels like I need 2 of me just to keep up. And then one of my best friends noticed this: We are taking 30 credit hours a semester. Yep - 30. To put that in perspective, "full time" for undergrad is 12 and this is more than double that! So I'm not crazy. I just need to remind myself that I am getting my doctorate in 3 years instead of the normal 4.
It's been interesting trying to keep up, but it's also different just living in an attic as well. I don't post pictures of it all the time, but my baking is out of control. In the winter I bake at least twice a week, and I'm not talking about little things either. More like 5 dozen cookies at a time. Or 50 oreo truffles. And a new obession: bread! So Bobby & I got rid of our dining table which we never used in favor of more kitchen for me. I ♥ Ikea! This "island" was perfect for my small space.

And it's completely full of baking supplies!

I got the jars from Target and won't admit to how often I have to refill them! But we have the greatest grocery store ever here: Winco. I buy everything bulk and don't have to worry about it going bad since I go through it so fast.

Bobby's standard pose while I'm baking. He has to stay close as my official taste tester.

But I must admit I really miss my kitchen in Phoenix

 -=sigh=- Only 2 more years! :)

27: the number of species Captain Jean-Luc Picard has made contact with in Star Trek: TNG

The headline is probably the Geek-i-est way to lead in to what yesterday meant to me: My 27th Birthday! I must admit I refuse to open a newspaper or listen to NPR on my birthday because it's usually too depressing, especially this year on the 10th anniversary. But we had a great weekend ignoring the news.
Saturday we spent at the beach and I have no pictures because we just relaxed, read books, and played with Sophie The Puffin. On my actual birthday I got up early to bake mini-cakes, cupcakes, and brownies for my birthday. It was a delicious chocolate overload! Then we went to a movie, to the Japanese gardens, and topped the night off with sushi in downtown Portland.

Beautiful flowers Bobby bought for me at the Farmer's Market on Saturday

The International Test Rose Gardens below the Japanese Gardens

The gardens are ramping up the Koi population in all their ponds. They even have babies in a separate area.

Ever wonder why we picked Portland? This is why! So Green!

The zen garden was in checkers this visit. I bet that was just for me! :)

Great sushi - and cute too!

The Dragon Roll was too big for even my big mouth

Presents back at home. So excited about my Silpats!!!

When I bake for myself, I just don't care if it's pretty - just that it tasted amazing!

Thanks to everyone who sent me happy birthday thoughts!

BTW - did you know 27 is also the number of bones in the human hand? Yep - not so exciting a number, but a good birthday nonetheless!

Baking for Boobies!

We had a bake sale today for Breast Cancer Research for the Susan G. Kolmen Foundation and so I had to go a little crazy this weekend. I'm in my first clinical Cardio block which is kicking my butt, but I had to go overboard anyways with baking!

A super-rummy Rum Cake (I glazed it for 2 days)

Oreo Truffles

Chocolate covered oreos (I had to use up all my left over chocolate!)

6 dozen Chocolate & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cowboy Cookies in a jar!  Isn't the fabric adorable? And a little bit of punk tulle to fluff it out. Perfect for a breast cancer bake sale.

And lots of dog treats! (more fabric I found underneath)

Oh and Brownie Bites, but I don't have a picture of those. And yes, I do know that I am crazy. But it's a good kind of crazy, right?