It's time for us to have a toast

The Big Chill at the Big House



What a wonderful day to live in the mitten! I went to the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State University hockey game with my dad, and it was so much fun! It was my first time in Michigan Stadium, now I can't wait to go back next fall for football games. The energy in the stadium was insane, although I was surrounded by tons of students who were a little bit crazy. I recently found out that I won't be getting my decision from Michigan until December 23. Those Wolverines know how to give me the greatest Christmas ever, or potentially ruin it. Although I was a bit chilly at the game, I stayed warm in a new knit headband that I bought yesterday. It came in tons of colors, and of course I bought the purple one. When I came home wearing it though, my mom informed me in disbelief that she was going to be giving me that same headband for Christmas. Like mother like daughter, right? It ended up getting a little bit too chilly for my dad and I, so we left the game a little early, but University of Michigan won the game 5-0. GO BLUE

Oh, and my new favorite song for the week is "Runaway" by Kanye West, probably because it allows me to sing out my feelings to everything, but it is wonderful.

You shine brighter than anyone

Essie "No Boundaries" and Chanel "Dazzling"

Last night during a major fit of senioritis I decided I needed to add a little Christmas cheer to myself, so I painted my nails a wonderful cranberry color. I love to mix polishes, I love trying new combinations, even if they don't always turn out as I hope. That's what nail polish remover is for right? I was pleased with my choices last night because it feels holiday-esque, yet it doesn't scream "CHRISTMAS!" I painted the "Dazzling" color on first, and then I topped it off with "No Boundaries."

Okay, so maybe I need a little help at the actual manicure part of painting my nails, but from far away they look good, or at least that's what I like to tell myself. Maybe I will just paint my nails every time I'm feeling a bout of seniorities, but then again, that is just about every night. At least I could have some fun nails for dull winter days!

Baby it's cold outside

The cause of my impending gym trip: the holiday season

 

Now that winter is on its way I am definitely not a happy girl. I dislike the cold very much, and probably because it makes getting out of bed at 6 am not a fun time. I've recently been on a song downloading binge, along with a rekindling my love for old songs. Somehow I always find the blaring some songs and singing at the tops of my lungs on my ride to school makes the day a little bit more bearable. Or maybe it's just that my breath warms up my car? Either way, here are my current favorites:

Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars, for hardcore moments
Be Your Santa Claus - Keith Sweat, R&B and Christmas wrapped into one... amazing
Loca (feat. el Cata) - Shakira, Spanish music owns my heart
Belief - Gavin DeGraw, I randomly started listening to his music again the other day, and now I'm hooked
What's My Name - Rihanna & Drake, obviously for when I need a little hip-hop sesh in my life
One Leap - Joshua Radin, along with the rest of his newest CD, but this song is my favorite
Hit or Miss - New Found Glory, simply because "nothing gold can stay" and I love NFG

and even better, these songs will motivate me on my gym trip that I'm about to take, because the holiday season definitely calls for some exercise.

The Only Gift

1. Rhinestone Mesh Necklace, Urban Outfitters
2. Natural-Spun Mohair Cable Knit Sweater, Aerie
3. Rosette Knit Headband, Forever 21
4. Swirl Heart Sequin Front Vest, Topshop
5. Hitting the Slopes Mittens, Modcloth
6. Longchamp 'Le Pliage' Tote, Nordstrom
7. UGG 'Rylan' Slipper, Nordstrom
8. University of Michigan Pullover Hoodie, Victoria's Secret PINK (in hopes that I will be a Wolverine)

This weekend has come and gone and I have gotten ZERO shopping done! I still need to find the perfect gifts for my parents, sisters, and my Secret Santa with my friends. My mom has been asking me to come up with my own list of things that I want, and this year I was actually at a loss of things I really wanted, although I was able to compile a nice list of things that I would love, seen above. I have one item on the top of my list, an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan, but I doubt my mom can go pick that up for me at the mall. For now, I have to wait until December 23 for a decision. That would make this Christmas about the best Christmas ever, along with being able to spend time with my family over the time off from school. Hopefully the holiday season will distract me from my anticipation and my letter will be here before I even know it, because this year, that is the only gift I really want.

I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight

Today, the first day of December, was filled with a wonderful bit of Christmas cheer, and some wonderful snow flurries on my way to school.

Tomorrow is my best friend's eighteenth birthday, and of course I used this as an opportunity to make these brownie bites for our lunch! I took the lazy way out and used a box of brownies, although the recipe does give you the way to make them yourself. I then mixed in a generous amount of dark chocolate chips in order to give the brownies a little bit of an extra punch.

The brownies require a LOT of grease on the pan so they don't stick. I filled mine about to the top, only because I love to have everything a little bit over sized.

I had to stop myself from eating all of the batter because it just looked so delightful! The mix filled two small muffin tins, leaving a little bit left extra for the chef. I then baked them, but I actually ended up having to bake them for about 20 minutes, a little longer than the recipe said.

They came out baked to perfection!

I then made the chocolate covering, and obviously more chocolate on these brownies can only make life even better. Instead of using plain cream, I mixed hazelnut coffee cream with half and half in order to give the covering a little bit of extra punch. I then added in the corn syrup and microwaved it, again for a little bit longer than the recipe calls for.

Next, I added a generous amount of vanilla.

Then I roughly chopped some dark chocolate chips, and mixed them into the warm cream mixture.

The warm cream melted the chocolate, although I had to add a little bit of corn starch to thicken the mixture a bit.

Then the brownies got to take a chocolate bath, and who wouldn't love that right? I used a fork to dip them, and I cooled them on a baking rack with wax paper underneath to catch the drippings.

I finished them off with some birthday festive sprinkles. Needless to say, I can't wait to have these tomorrow!

Throughout my baking experience, listened to the Glee version of "Hey Soul Sister" on repeat, maybe thirty times in a row. After seeing it performed on the show last night, I was reminded how much I love that song. To make my re-obsession even stronger, my school's morning announcements featured it today, and my entire AP English class sang along... and I'm not even kidding when I say everyone. Talk about a fabulous start to my day, and a great start to December. Through all of this, it looks like it's going to be a simply delightful December.