Green. <3

Ohhh, how I love this!

The coat, the shoes, the colors.

Best of Sacramento Party 2009.

I attended the annual Best of Sacramento Party on Thursday night and it was such a blast! I received 2 free tickets (cost: $75!) from work Wednesday evening and scurried to find a date & plan the night. I had never heard about the event before and was hearing good things about it from co-workers. I ended up going with my friend, Janet, and we had a great time! There were tables and booths from places all over Sacramento, including: restaurants, bakeries, salons, jewelry stores, casinos, grocery stores, and so much more! The event is hosted by the Sacramento Magazine, which continually lists the "Best ____ of Sacramento" in their magazines, such as best restaurants, best entertainment, best stores, etc. All of these "Best Of..." were at the event giving out free samples, raffles (I entered the "Win your Dream Car" raffle, say a prayer...cross your fingers that I win. It's for a Land Rover!) , free products, coupons, and more. We were given a tote upon arriving and it was filled to the top with goodies we gathered throughout the night. It was fun dressing up, hearing the live band, and seeing all the different people of Sacramento. All the proceeds went the March of Dimes, which made us all enjoy the evening a little more knowing what a great cause we were contributing too. I'm looking forward to Best of Sacramento 2010!

ps. I'm such a lame for taking hardly any pictures! boo...

Thankful.

For two reasons am I writing this blog. First, although I strive to continually be thankful year-round, it is a bit more prominent during this time of year. And second, I saw my friend, Brooke, blog about the same thing and enjoyed reading it. Thanks, Brooke! :) There are so many things that I have to be thankful for...where do I begin?!

1. Jesus Christ. He has given me life, salvation, blessings, protection, happiness, and so, so much more! I am thankful that He loved me so much to die for me and then care about my little, insignificant life. It's indescribable! I want to forever live for Him.

2. Family. They are my everything! I am so thankful for the parents and siblings I have been given. I really couldn't ask for better. They are my support group & best friends.

3. Friends. I am thankful for the friends I have made throughout my life. They are all so dear to me. Whether near or far, new or old, I am thankful for the friendship of each one. Someone to talk to, share with, & laugh with!

4. My health. I can really take this for granted at times. I don't realize how blessed I am to have my health. There are others who are restricted and unable to enjoy life to the fullest because of their poor health. I am thankful I can breathe on my own, walk, eat, run, speak, hear, and live life!

(I can see how this list can get lengthy, so I'll continue in bullet points.)

• My church
• Education
• Toby, my yorkie
• The Bible
• Food
• Opportunity
• USA
• Creation
• My home
• My car
• My cell phone
• My paycheck
• My ugg boots
• Hope
• You

What are you thankful for?

Hide 'n' Seek (in the dark).

Have you ever played that?

It's quite fun actually. Especially in a huge house with a group of 20 people.

Not that I would know, of course.

;)

Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Soup

As I was browsing the Los Angeles Times website today, I found an adorable, little recipe in the Health section of the website. Of course, the first thing that caught my attention was the charming picture of mini pumpkins serving as bowls for this spiced pumpkin soup. I love all things creative. And I love the fall season - the colors, the weather, the holidays, and the food! This is a perfect starter course for Thanksgiving dinner. I just might have to whip up 6 of these little babies for Turkey Day! If the preceding statement happens, I will be sure to follow up with a post including pictures. (I'm trying to build some accountability to prevent "blogging lagging", which happens to be an unfortunate habit of mine.)
If anyone else is interested in including these in your holiday menu, here's the recipe.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!

Nuts for Nutella.

Nutella: a hazelnut spread with a hint of cocoa.

Now, you would think that with a description so delicious, Nutella would be one of my favorite foods and be a staple item in my food pantry? But due to my lack of spontaneity and venturing out in foods, my first experience with Nutella was merely 2 months ago. I give thanks to my friend, Pam, for showing me the light. While out to dinner one night, she ordered a Nutella cheesecake at Burgers & Brew and shared the heaven-sent dessert. Love at first sight...err, taste. Then, to feed (literally) my new found love, she made crepes with Nutella and bananas...also delish! Since then, I have tried Nutella in a variety of ways, such as with toast, pretzels, fruit, and, of course, straight out of the jar!

Have you tried Nutella? How do you enjoy it?

:)